Does whatever a Spider can ... !

Greetings fellow blogonauts!

Back in 2009 Psytronik Software published a very jolly platform romp for the VIC-20 called Carling the Spider ... The idea of the game was to manoeuvre weeny little Carling the Spider around several screens collecting glittering diamonds - just like real spiders, er, don't. Out to thwart Carlings jewel grabbing expoits are the diabolical BALLS OF STEEL who like nothing better than squishing little spiders.

The game was produced by Joe Dixon who managed to cram the whole kaboodle into an unexpanded 4K VIC-20. The game proved to be popular with VIC fans as it featured excellent Chuckie Egg style gameplay, responsive controls and was nicely presented to boot.


So why am I enthusing about this 2009 release? Because the game can now be downloaded for FREE! Simply head on over to the Psytronik website and grab yourself a copy of this nifty little platformer (click here to visit the download page). The free package includes both the PAL and NTSC versions of the game in .D64 format along with a text file that contains the game instructions along with info about how to run it in an emulator.

Carling the Spider 2!

And more good news for Carling fans - Carling WILL be returning for another adventure at some point - but this time on the VIC's bigger brother, the C64. We can't give away too much info about Carling 2 yet as the game is still being developed - but the work-in-progress screenshot below shows it's definitely something to look forward to! Keep an eye on www.psytronik.net for more info about the game.


Thanks for reading!

Kenz / www.psytronik.net

VIC, VIC, Hooray!

I've always been intrigued by the VIC-20 computer but had never really used one properly until recently. It was during the release of the VIC-20 game Carling the Spider on the Psytronik label that I finally fired up the XVIC emulator and started dabbling with VIC-20 games. And you know what, I was impressed! A bit of YouTube searching also revealed some fantastic VIC-20 demo releases - many of which were designed to run on an unexpanded 5K VIC! Check out these babies:-


We are the robots, doo doo dee doo!


It's not possible - it's Impossiblator!

WOW! I hadn't realised there was such an active demo scene on the VIC and as I just lurve demos I rapidly became a new fan of the machine. Emulation and YouTube videos are one thing - experiencing them on a REAL machine are another! So I recently took the plunge and bought a complete VIC-20 setup from eBay. As well as being able to experience games and demos on the real deal it also means I can properly playtest forthcoming VIC-20 Psytronik releases (and play Carling the Spider on a proper machine - yay!) :)

Hi-ho, Vic, hi-ho, hi-ho!

And talking of our little spidery chum Carling, I'm pleased to announce the game will be available on TAPE from Psytronik.com VERY soon (budget / premium disk & digital download versions are now available). Here's a pic of the tape version for you to drool over:-

Along came a Spider (being chased by BALLS OF STEEL!)

And I've got some MORE great news for VIC fans. The big Summer Psytronik VIC-20 release REALMS OF QUEST is nearing completion. Here's how the premium disk version is currently looking:-

"Let me tell you of the days of high adventure"

The complete Realms of Quest trilogy along with a host of
bonus games - all on one flippy-floppy!

If you look closely at the pictures above you'll see there's a Commodore Computer Club logo on there. This is because the heroes at the Commodore Club club have very kindly offered to sponsor this release! Many thanks guys. :)



The disk will contain the complete REALMS OF QUEST Trilogy of RPG games - including a special 16K DUNJON CRAWLER version of REALMS OF QUEST III. You also get the choice to play the new REALMS games with the original graphics designed by the games author Ghislain - or a special enhanced edition with fantastic graphics by Saehn of Style Designs. Check out the screenies below:-

Aaiieee! A skeletal warriour attacks!

Have at ye Kobold!

The REALMS OF QUEST disk also contains a fantastic selection of bonus games on the flip-side of the disk. These will all run happily on an unexpanded VIC-20 and the compilation includes conversions of classic arcade games + much more. The disk-only release will be presented with glossy full colour inlay art and a whopping 36 page manual!

REALMS OF QUEST will be available to order from Psytronik Software in September 2009. Keep an eye on www.psytronik.com for details.

Thanks for reading, keep it RETRO!

Kenz / www.psytronik.com

Along came a spider ...

Greetings programs!

I'm as chuffed as Mr Chuffterton from Chuffsville to announce that the first Psytronik Software VIC 20 release will soon be available. The game is called Carling the Spider and is a new piece of software for the Vic programmed by Joe 'Polygon' Dixon. In the game you control a little spider (called Carling, obviously) who must negotiate various tricky screens and collect all the diamonds before heading for the exit.


Some rather evil ball-bearings make life difficult for Carling as they bounce around the screens killing our little arachnid chum on contact. Deadly spikes are also littered around the screens and will rob you of a life if Carling touches one of them. Sproingy black blocks are also cunningly placed on the screens which will cause Carling to leap high in the air if he lands on one.


One of the things I like about Carling the Spider is it plays a bit like Chuckie Egg (which I loved on the Speccy). Carling zooms around the screens at a decent pace and can be controlled in mid-air when he falls or if you hit fire to make him jump. Interestingly, the whole game has been crammed into just 4K so it will run quite happily on an unexpanded Vic!


The nifty tape artwork you can see above has been created by Trev 'Smila' Storey. The game will be released in the next couple of months as soon as it has been completed and mastered. Exact release-date and price TBC.

Keep an eye on www.psytronik.com for more details about the game.

Thanks for reading, see you IN THE FUTURE!

Kenz / www.psytronik.com