Game Review: Spectipede (BBC Micro, Mastertronic)

Originally released for the ZX Spectrum by R&R Software and then re-released by Mastertronic, Spectipede eventually made its way over to a range of formats including the Commodore 64, Commodore 16, BBC Micro and unusually the Electron. While I own both of the latter two Acorn versions, I opted to check out the BBC Micro version this time…

Spectipede – Another Re-Release… Sort Of

As with the Spectrum version of the game, Spectipede on the BBC Micro is also a re-release but not quite in the same way. Originally, this was going to be released by Acornsoft under the name Millipede but only made it to a pre-release stage. With the impeding re-release of R&R Software’s game, Mastertronic obtaining the rights to Millipede, renamed it and the rest is history…

Stop Cloning Around…

As the name implies, this is a straight-up clone of Atari’s arcade classic Centipede. Where the Spectrum version (and all of the other conversions) adapted the gameplay and added new features to it to create a new version of the game, the BBC Micro release is a blatant copy in all but the name.

You have to destroy the giant centipede (although the inlay describes it as a manic worm) that is crawling down the screen towards you. Each time you shoot it, it splits in two at the point it’s hit with each part going off in a separate direction. Eventually the screen will be filled with bits of worm to destroy. At the same time, there are spiders, bats and other garden beasties out to destroy you while the worms continually make their way down.

You can take cover behind mushrooms for safety, but each time you destroy any of the worms more of these appear and if a worm touches a mushroom they change direction and move further down the screen towards you. You can destroy the mushrooms giving you more space to shoot, but it takes away your valuable cover, so there’s an element of strategy to how you use them.

Playability

Reading the description of the game may not seem all that exciting, but what makes the original release of Centipede – and Spectipede – work so well, is that at the very core it’s just pure arcade action at its finest. No clumsy storyline, lengthy learning curve, complicated controls or anything else. You can just grab a joystick and within seconds you’re deep into the game and once you’ve shot one or two centipedes/worms you’ll understand everything you need to know.

And that’s what made the original such a timeless classic and that playability has been recreated here perfectly. I really couldn’t find anything to fault with it in that department and it’s incredibly addictive and will keep you coming back for that elusive “one more go” ad infinitum.

Options Galore

One thing I did find impressive with Spectipede were the options available, especially in an early 8-bit game. After the brief logo/title sequence you’re asked what key you want to use for the fire button and then whether you want to use keyboard or joystick. With the keyboard controls Z and X are used for left and right, while  * and ? are used for up and down movement. While these may be fine on original hardware, they’re not ideal for those choosing to play on an emulator but I found the joystick to be the much better option regardless considering the fast nature of the arcade gameplay.

After that you’re asked if you want to play the game in high or low resolution, and finally what speed you want to play at (fast, medium or slow) – effectively giving you three difficulty settings. For an arcade title it was incredible impressive and puts you in a really positive frame of mind about Spectipede before you even start playing.

Graphics And Sound

I have to be honest and say that first impressions of Spectipede didn’t instil a great deal of confidence in me. A short sequence starts off after loading displaying the title screen with Mastertronic appearing on screen with Spectipede underneath followed by all the options as text screens and once you start the game you’re presented with an irritating single channel piece of “music” which fortunately only lasts for a few seconds.

But as soon as the game starts it quickly redeems itself. Regardless of the resolution you select, there’s plenty of detail of everything on screen and it moves at an incredible pace really keeping the action frantic. Each level uses a different colour palette to keep the visuals fresh throughout so while the core gameplay remains the same Spectipede never gets boring to look at.

On the sound front, there are some great blasting sound effects throughout but just like the opening, the sound is let down by an off-key version of Chopin’s Funeral March followed by an equally awful single-channel excerpt of the Star Wars theme – probably the earliest instance Mastertronic had copyrighted music in one of their games.

Overall

There isn’t really a great deal you can say when it comes to arcade games like Spectipede. For games that are straight ports or clones, ultimately it all boils down to how much of a fan you are of the original, and how faithful a version the developers have managed to create. In this instance, I’m a fan of pretty much all the 80s arcade classics having played them all when they were first released and when it comes to Centipede clones, this sits right up there as being one of the best 8-bit ones I’ve played. If you’re a fan of the original, or just love fast action arcade games in general, then no self-respecting gamer should be without this in their collection. A must have addition to the Mastertronic collection.

But don’t just take my word for it, take a look at Spectipede in action for yourself:

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You know what we think but why not share your thoughts on this game! Let us know what you think of it in the comments below, or add your own score using the slider in the summary box at the top of the review!

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