Game Review: Alcatraz Harry (ZX Spectrum, Mastertronic)

The Plot

Alcatraz Harry must escape from prison using arcade, strategy and adventure skills. Along the way, you must steal secret files, negotiate a mine field, avoid patrolling guards, use escape tunnels, cut the wire fence, reach and steal a car and escape through a hole in the fence.

Watch out though, avoid the obvious and think carefully before you make your move. Well, it certainly sounds like its going to be an action packed and interesting game, so let’s get into it and find out!

Instructions Y/N

Once the game has loaded, you will be prompted with an option to read the instructions.  If you haven’t played it before, then definitely select Y.

There are 11 pages of them followed by an option to re-read them afterwards!  On each page, you can press also press C on the keyboard to print out the page.  The instructions are well explained, have colourful and neatly drawn graphics too.  In addition, advising the keys to press to move around, pick things up and your status.  All essential information.

Doing Time

The next step is to choose a difficulty level of 1 to 4.  Once you have chosen, the screen scrolls up saying Please wait!  You will now be taken into the camp.  Please wait whilst I throw away the key.

Regardless of which level you choose, there is roughly a 25 second delay whilst the game is randomly generating the screens.  The game is mostly written in Basic, explaining why the long wait is there.  At least you do get a different game to explore each time around so in theory, no two games are ever the same.

You are then shown a screen in which a guard tells you where sector the secret files are hidden in followed by a short tune. There are also long delays before the minefield is generated.  You get a short moment to remember it.

Graphics and Animation

Alcatraz Harry (see end of the review about the spelling) has a reasonable loading screen.

The graphics are clearly User Defined Graphics (UDG’s) but I feel these have been used well.  Most screens have some brick outposts, turrets and buildings with a prisoner in.  Use of colour is good (without any colour-clash).  The downside though, is that Harry always flickers on the screen, which is somewhat irritating.  This is most evident when standing in one place.

Harry’s movements mirror each time when going in any direction so it’s a left-right, left-right even when going in one direction.  It does look quite comical though with his feet pointed at a strange angle.

Playability

The game is rather slow to play and when entering another screen, you must wait a second or two for it to be drawn out.  The keys aren’t too responsive, but they do the job.

On the screens where you do find an object to pick up, it can be repetitive.  They are always in the same area, so there isn’t any variety or skill required to get those items.  The only variance is which object it will be.

Sound and Music

Occasionally, you will hear a tune for around 5 seconds at important parts of the game.  Namely the start when you are told which sector the secret papers are and when surrounded by the guards.

Spoiler alert – Completing the game also makes a clunky two note repeating noise too.

Don’t Lose Your Head!

When you walk into a screen (or sector), you may come across a guard.  The guards don’t move and walking towards them doesn’t kill Harry.

What you must avoid doing though, is returning to a screen where you had already encountered where a guard was present.  Doing so, results in your suddenly being surrounded by six guards who close in on you for loitering!

You are then put against a wall for a guard to then shoot you from a turret.  He then literally shoots your head off as it rolls along the floor.

Alcatraz or Alcatrazz?

The immediate thing that I noticed when the game began loading was that it showed:

Program: alcatrazz

The loading screen also shows Alcatrazz Harry (spelt with two z’s as well).  It makes me wonder if a decision was made at Mastertronic to spell the infamous prison the usual way, rather than what the programmer decided to put in the game?

Double Bubble!

Mastertronic also released another tape containing two games known as Plus One – Whodunnit and Alcatraz Harry – IS 1537.  In case you are wondering why it that had a strange catalogue number of IS 1537, its because Whodunnit has a catalogue number of IS 0015 and Alcatraz Harry having IS 0037.  Combining 15 and 37 gets you IS 1537.

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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!