Game Review: Video Olympics (ZX Spectrum, Mastertronic)

As you’ve now doubt guessed already, this game is based on the Track n’ Field genre with six events.

Video Olympics is a one player only game.  There isn’t even a computer opponent to compete against running against you.  It is all done by clock speeds or qualifying throwing distances.

So don’t get your mates around to play the game as they can’t race.

On Your Marks, Get Set and Likely Game Over!

The first race is the 100 metres dash and to qualify this must be done within 14 seconds to progress onto the next event.  In reality, the race (or dash) lasts approximately 30 seconds.  I’d approximate that for each real-time second, the one in Video Olympics lasts 2-3 seconds.  This does make some sense, or the race would be over rather quickly indeed.

You see a man with a starting pistol as you prepare yourself for a ready, get set, go position motion.  There are no false starts for trying to run before the pistol is fired.  As you run, you’ll see white markers and the metres going up in steps of 10 up-to 100.   Failure to qualify results in game over, which is frustrating as it’s straight back to the start.  Perhaps, to have made it more entertaining, even if you didn’t qualify, you should still move onto the next event, with say no score.

Anyway, I found that it took me about 1 in 5 goes to eventually qualify on the keyboard and never managed to do that one using the joystick.  I defy anyone to beat 14 seconds; I seriously couldn’t beat that time (only match it).

Running speeds are measured in Kph (no doubt due to it being a Spanish game originally.)

Long Jump

In the long jump (Longjump as it shows across the top of the screen before starting the event), you have to run at least 30 metres (maximum) and hold down the jump button until it ideally gets to 45 degrees.  Even with a good speed and angle, on many occasions it seemed to just do a little leap of just a couple of centimetres!

Thankfully, you do get three attempts.  Should you qualify on one of these goes, then you still need to do the long jump three times (which is a bit head-scratching in itself!)

Anyway, because of the three goes, you are more likely to somehow (usually with a bit of luck).  Where you land, you’ll see the sand appear as a few dots and then a man with a tape measure moving across the ground.  The qualification is 4 metres.

Get the timing wrong and you fall flat on your face (quite amusing) and for some reason, the word “Spectrum” is written along the ground, but surely “Ouch” would have made more sense?

Javelin

I must confess, that despite there being six events and after a couple of hours of playing Video Olympics, I just couldn’t complete this event.

The qualification throw needs to be a distance of 80 metres and the most I threw was 72m.  Even when I did manage to throw the javelin at 45 degrees on a couple of occasions, it got me nowhere.  The run-up is rather short, so no doubt to quality you’d have to set-off and maintain the run extremely quickly and get the perfect throw.

There is a long wait for the javelin to travel, even when thrown at a slow speed running speed or low angle.  It’s just not fun to be honest.  I wouldn’t have minded so much if you got quite near to qualification but often, I threw around 40 metres.

This is Awkward… How do I Review the rest of the game?

Well, I can’t vouch for the controls but having seen a video of the remaining events, they are the Hammer Throwing, 100 Metre Hurdles and Swimming.

The Hammer Throw consisted of spinning around in a circle and watching on another screen the ball and chain going across the screen with the metres marked out.  It didn’t look too bad.  The 100 metres hurdles looked quite average, but I’d imagine that it’s probably neigh on impossible to get to the required speed as well as leaping over hurdles too.  The swimming does require the fire button to be used to come up for air (which makes sense!)

Now, not having played these, all I can say is that if they are anything like the first three events, it’s going to be awkward (if near on impossible to complete in one sitting).  I did try and find some pokes for infinite time (but I couldn’t find any which is rare.)

Sound

Once the game has loaded, you will hear the Star Wars theme (no doubt some copyright infringement there!)

When the firing pistol is fired, there is an extremely minimal tap noise.

I did see that when the game is completed that there was a tune played when standing and waving on the podium (with no-one else on the silver or bronze platforms).

Graphics

This is where Video Olympics is at it’s best (which is saying a lot.)  The loading screen is very good with plenty of colour and detailed.

The graphics aren’t too bad either.  From the starting screen, you’ll see your runner, running (believe it or not!) across from left to right and waving his arms in the air in celebration from time to time.  This looks rather neat.

The games scroll along at a decent pace too when you do get some speed up.  The advertising banners move well and the crowd’s heads will change colour, moving one square from right to left.

You can no doubt see that there are black bars behind and in-front of you as you run.  Each time you clear a small distance a new vertical bar appears.  This is very odd and I see no real purpose in it.  It lines up with the metre bars at the bottom of the screen but is just an eyesore and utterly pointless.  When you complete an event, you’ll also see your runner appear on the left-of the screen and run through them.

Video Olympic/Video Olympic/Video Olympics

Despite the cover on the Mastertronic cover inlay and printing on the cassette tape as Video Olympics, the loading screen and in-game title is Video Olympic (without the s).

The original release was by the Spanish software house, Dinamic under the title of Video Olimpic.  You can read more about this in Warren Pilkinton’s excellently written article “Micro Natters Part 2: A Mastertronic Re-Release Guide – ZX Spectrum”.  The game is mentioned on the fourth page (but the whole article is worth a read, if you haven’t already.)

The hyperlink is https://mastertronic.co.uk/micro-natters-part-2-a-mastertronic-re-release-guide-zx-spectrum/4/

Summary

The playability really spoils the game and would require the patience of a saint to complete.  This is far too awkward and too slow to enjoy.

Despite some reasonable graphics (apart from the black vertical bars!), the scrolling is what makes it score more than 1 overall here.

With no addictive qualities, it offers nothing new or any entertainment value.  After just a couple of goes, its one you’ll be putting away and not returning too in my opinion.  It’s bad.

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