Game Review: Spectipede (Commodore 64, Mastertronic)

After the original release of Spectipede from R&R Software, programmed by Kevin Allison, was re-released by Mastertronic, it was natural that the game was a success and a conversion to other formats made sense.  Step forward Tony Kelly of Mr Chip Software, who would handle both the Commodore 64 and later Commodore 16 and Plus/4 versions.  Interestingly, the name was not changed from the original (which is a merging of the words Spectrum and Centipede to get Spectipede), so maybe Commtipede or Commopede might have been a possible option?

One of These Things is Not (Quite) Like the Other

Reading the instructions and comparing them side by side with the Spectrum version shows that there are some differences in the Commodore 64 version, and that unfolds during play.  The Spectipede must be shot down, and shooting its head reduces the length of the Spectipede until it is completely shot.  The spiders move down the screen and turn into the mushrooms when hit, and if any spider hits the bottom of the screen, they spawn more spiders at the top.  If you constantly just shoot the spiders without shooting the Spectipede, then more and more appear.  There are plasma bolts in the middle and an enemy that heads down the left side firing bullets too, so plenty to look forward to as the game loads.

Fast and Furious

Once the game loads, the title screen is functional and shows the eight directions plus fire that you can press if using the keyboard, or a joystick in port one.  However, there is no two-player option, which for me is an opportunity missed – the original Spectrum version had that and would be good fun to play with a friend.    Pressing a key to start asks you to select joystick (J) or keyboard (K) and off you go, with some sound effects heralding the opening level.

Mushroom Mania

The level forms with mushrooms randomly placed, and once this is done, the Spectipede roams around diagonally around the screen, with careful shots needed to aim at the head to reduce its size.  The spiders, green in colour, move down the screen, and fast reflexes are needed to shoot them as quickly as possible.  You also have the plasma bolts in the middle which when shot rotate 90 degrees, however this also means that they can be set to deflect your bullets back at you, so you will need to be careful shooting upwards where they are.  You can move up and down as well as left or right if you need to avoid any spiders, which can prove very useful too when tracking the Spectipede.  An enemy whizzes down the left and fires a bullet – this can often hit the plasma bolts and deflect, or if it hits the mushroom, that bullet will come down at you, at some pace too.

Worm Your Way Around

You do get some audial aids when you hit the head of the Spectipede, reducing its length, and another sound effect indicates you have destroyed it, meaning you just then need to tackle the green spiders.  Remove all those, and the level is completed and you move on to the next one.  The fast pace of you shooting bullets (and auto fire can also be enabled by holding down the fire button) means that you need to keep your wits about you, destroying mushrooms to stop the spiders descending too quickly, and keeping an eye to ensure bullets do not deflect or aim towards you.  It certainly does mean you need to carefully take the head out, and often using those plasma bolts to deflect the bullets right and left can result in good hits too – and all of that really adds to the fast and frenetic pace once you get into it.  Collide with any part of the Spectipede or a spider, or be hit by a bullet, and that is a life lost.

The status display at the top shows your score, the number of lives represented by red ships and the level you are on.  Later levels get progressively faster and more difficult and some add extra plasma bolts for more deflecting bullets, meaning more strategy must be employed.  If you do get a high score, then the name entry is a bit odd, with the joystick directions moving the letter entry the opposite way to what you would be used to, and having to use the left arrow to move the name left to complete the entry when done.  I was able to get a decent score particularly if I destroyed the Spectipede quickly, and with an extra ship at every 10,000 points – provided you can get there, of course.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Spectipede are small but reasonably detailed, with each level having a background scrolling effect of squares which does not distract too much from the game.  The Spectipede itself has a white head and purple tail so it is easy to spot when this has been reduced, with the green spiders and yellow mushrooms also easy to make out.  The sound effects are nice, and indicators for hitting the Spectipede prove useful and some acceptable bullet sounds, and nice explosion noises and introductory warbles at the start of each level – all showing that they interact well with the game.

Final Thoughts

Spectipede is not just a conversion from the Spectrum original, but it is its own clone of Centipede with different features that make the game just as fun and frenetic, but in a different way.  Whilst the lack of two player option is a big miss, the amount of action on screen here certainly keeps that arcade feel and gives you plenty of keep your eyes on, including watching out for those bullets coming at you.  There are plenty of arcade sound effects to give it that extra feel, and really does show that Mr Chip were a trusted name for solid playable games even in the early days of Mastertronic. Well worth the money and good fun to have a quick blast of.

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