Back when I first got my Atari ST for Christmas in the 90s, I received the ST itself, it's
box, some software and the Atari Power Pack.
My ST was second hand, purchased from my good friend Michael, but the impact of that Power
Pack felt the same as if it were a brand new machine and I'd just been presented with the
key to enough entertainment to last a lifetime.... or a good number of weeks at the very least.
The Power Pack was a compilation of "20 Superb Software Games" included with Atari STFM models
sold from 1988 onwards.
It's inclusion with new machines was genius and boosted the ST's sales as a gaming system
significantly.
But this wasn't the first game bundle to be included with the ST range.
The STFM had been launched in 1986 to provide a more friendly home computer compared to
the earlier ST models which lacked a TV modulator and internal floppy drive.
Over in North America, the machine was marketed with less emphasis on gaming, whilst Atari
over in Europe had cottoned onto the machine's main selling point and by 1988 bundles such
as the Summer Pack and Super Pack appeared.
The Super Pack also contained 20 games, but didn't perform as well as the Power Pack.
The main reasons for this were that the games were generally better in the Power Pack, with
it packed with more recognisable arcade hits, and and also the bundle price dropped from
£399 to £299 during it's release.
Europe was already a region gripped by the home micro, having been weaned on Sinclair
Spectrum's, Amstrad CPCs and Commodore 64s, so with consoles like the Sega Mega Drive
only an Eastern whisper, the ST seemed an obvious choice.
Of course, there was also Amiga rivalry, but on screen shots, ST games looked pretty identical
to Amiga games, and given the Amiga was more expensive, and lacking a huge game bundle,
the choice or children, if not their parents, often fell to the ST.
The PowerPack therefore seemed to be Atari's masterstroke, but it was also part of it's
downfall.
You see, 20 games is a lot of games.
For me, it kept me entertained for as long as I needed, and this often meant that sales
of third party titles was less than perhaps on rival systems, such as the Amiga.
It wasn't long before publishers gone frustrated with this and rather than developing ST games
to port to the Amiga, flipped it round.
This posed a problem, as converting a game designed to take advantage of the custom Amiga
hardware to the ST was harder than the other way around.
This meant the Amiga began to amass a collection of exclusive titles, and what's more, even
converted titles began to look a lot better on the Amiga and Commodore's machine began
to widen the market share until the ST faded away.
Of course, this isn't all of the story and with the rise of the IBM compatible PC and
game consoles, both platforms were commercially doomed anyway, but it played it's part.
Just like I'm about to do with each of the Powerpack games.
So without further ago, let us begin with Disk A: Afterburner.
Before we dive into the gameplay, it's worth noting that in their original commercial incarnations
some of these games were spread across more than 1 double density floppy.
Afterburner is one of those titles, but the reduction is not all down to compression.
Some elements are missing from the titles.
In this case the arcade theme tune is missing from the loading screen.
Of course this isn't an essential ingredient, but to frequenters of arcades, it made these
home conversions feel just that little bit closer to the authentic experience.
And it's more important than you might think.
It puts you in that mindset, standing in front of the cabinet, because although the game
itself isn't terrible, the ST hardware just wasn't up to replicating the rapid, engaging
gameplay.
It does though, get my vote for being the only game in this pack where you don't actually
need to do anything to progress.
Disk B!
R-Type.
What can I say about this game?
Other than my version requiring you to press a key at a specific time during loading, otherwise
it didn't load.. something Michael and I worked out probably though accident.
It's a timeless game.
The arcade version was superb, and the ST version holds up remarkably well, even on
the sound front.
But it's a double edge sword, because also, like the arcade version, it's a hard game,
with limited check points throughout each level.
Disk C!
Gauntlet II.
Probably my favourite game in the pack.
This kept us engaged for hours and hours.
Roaming dungeons, trying not to shoot the food.
It's just an incredibly playable and addictive game, and the ST conversion is spot on.
The ST doesn't have hardware scrolling, but scrolling is never the less perfect here.
In fact the game is so close to the arcade, even down to the speech samples, that I couldn't
choose between them.
Disk D!
Super Hang On.
By this point, it's already easy to see why this pack was such a winner.
Electric Dreams take on Sega's arcade sensation is graphically pleasing, fast and even sports
some impressive road undulation.
Even the 4 arcade tunes are chucked in.
You can play using either mouse or joystick, with the latter somewhat preferable.
Overall it's a pretty good conversion.
Disk E! Space Harrier.
Another Sega classic and another impressive arcade conversion, moving at a good pace and
offering some frantic gameplay.
I didn't play this game much in my younger years, but the colours and speed always captivated
me, along with that wooly mammoth thing on the loading screen.
Disk F!
The first disk to feature a multitude of tiles.
3 in fact, starting with Starglider....
I'll admit, I used to load this game up just to hear that intro music; I rarely played
the actual game, which is a shame because by all accounts, it's amazing.
Developed by Argonaught software, Jez Sans worked on the C64 Elite release before creating
this and it shows.
The 3D graphics are great for the ST, especially an 80s release, and once you get into it,
the gameplay is good.
Like an Elite light.
The next title on this disk is Overlander.
A game which exudes a dystopian feel from the outset.
That shadowy car.
The initial choices to make, followed by the bleak in game graphics.
I was a fan for these qualities alone.
Really it's a somewhat primitive clone of Atari's Roadblaster.
A drab clone, and I like it for that.
Which brings us to Super Huey.
For some reason I barely loaded this one up back in the day.
It's a helicopter game.
It's alright.
Disk G!
Eliminator.
This is almost like a cross between Overlander and Space Harrier, and it's another game with
exudes the arcade feel, although this Hewson release isn't actually an arcade game.
The music and sound effects aren't quite up to scratch, but the game play will draw you
in and keep you hooked.
Thanks to a password system, progression isn't too much of a chore either.
Also on disk G, Nebulus.
Another Hewson Consultants game, and one which I'm sure you're well aware of.
Playing as the creature Pogo, your mission is to destroy 8 towers built in the sea.
You do this by navigating around each tower and planting a bomb at the top.
Pretty simple, but the beauty lies in the convincing clockwise and anti-clockwise turning
of the tower, creating a sense of depth and marking the game out as something pretty unique,
especially in it's day.
The final title on Disk G, Pac-Mania.
It's not quite up to the same standards as the Amiga release, but it has smooth scrolling
in it's half screen display area and it plays well.
I mean, it's Pac Man from an isometric perspective.
It's not for everyone, but I loved the 3D effect back then, and I still do today.
Disk H!
Predator.
Arnie.
Getting to the Chopper.
Marvellous stuff.
Being a huge fan of the film, even at the age of 9, this was one game I loved getting
stuck into.
Like a lot of these games, it's pretty darn hard, but it does capture the story of the
film in a certain side scrolling fashion.
Saying that, the scrolling isn't perfect, but it's not the shabbiest either.
Targeting at angles can be a bit of a pain, as can running away from the Predator's sights
when it appears, but overall it's a reasonable port of the 8 bit versions.
Interestingly, due to licensing a few rare packs contain Winter Olympiad 88 instead.
Disk I!
Another 3 games, starting with Bombuzal.
A puzzle game where the aim is to destroy all the bombs.
To do this, you step on a bomb to light it, you may then take one step and the bomb will
explode.
It's a simple formula which works well, offering another isometric game of delight.
Although you can also switch to a top down view, which
is nice.
More bombs, with the classic Bomb Jack next.
I loved this game on the Spectrum.
I played it a lot.
So by the time I got my hands on the ST, it's appeal had waned a little.
But it's still a decent version of the 1984 arcade classic.
Playing as Bomb Jack, your job is to collect the bombs.
Simple
To round up this disk we have Xenon, by the incredibly talented Bitmap Brothers.
Flying your craft through 4 stages of alien territory, your task is really to destroy
as much as possible.
Good graphics, good scrolling and good gameplay ensure the longevity of one of the first games
to truly take the ST hardware for a run.
Disk J!
Double Dragon.
What can I say about this game.
After Gauntlet II, this is probably the game I've sunk the most hours into.
Sure, it's not arcade perfect, but then the arcade game was never perfect anyway, and
at least it includes the arcade music.
Both versions slow down when there are too many sprites on screen.
But I'm a-ok with that.
Especially because you get to turn on your brother and beat the crap out of him at the
end.
It's one of the easiest games here, but also one of the most enjoyable.
Remember, this was pre Streets of Rage days.
Disk K!
Black Lamp.
What was this game about?
I honestly couldn't tell you from memory alone, and my play time of it is somewhat, limited.
It turns out to be a medieval melodrama featuring Jolly Jack, the jovial jester on a quest to
rid evil from the kingdom.
To do this you must collect 20 lamps, with the most powerful "Black Lamp" guarded by
a dragon.
The story makes little sense, but apparently magazines liked it back in the day,
On the same disk we have Outrun.
It's clear that reviewers were more lenient back in the 80s.
Saying that, I played this a fair deal, and I remember enjoying it.
I think it's because I'd come from the Spectrum version and so this was a step up.
I mean, at the very least, it had reasonable music and colourful graphics.
Playing it today however, isn't a nostalgic gathering of bliss.
It's a frame churning little wretch of a game, which only just manages to keep me playing
to the end.
Disk L!The final disk of games containing Star Ray and Star Goose...
Star Ray is another title I barely remember playing.
I'm not sure why it didn't grab me, but it's probably because I was too busy playing R-Type.
It's a conversion by Steve Bak, responsible for gems such as Goldrunner, and his skill
shines through featuring an amazing 7 layers of parallax scrolling.
That's two more than the Amiga version.
Take that you Commodore people.
Star Goose involves you, as a hover ship, eight looped levels of heavily defended surfaces
and various crystals, of which you must collect.
Like other games here, you can control by either joystick or mouse, but also like other
games, joystick is preferable.
Dying will send you back to the start of your current level, so you can enjoy the game at
a moderate pace.
It's a nice one for diving into occasionally, when you feel like some concentrated but relaxed
action.
And that's it.
That's the Power Pack.
Arguably, the Atari Language Disk, Organiser and Music Maker are also part of this pack,
but I'm sticking to the games in this episode.
We can cover those another time.
But given the quality and variety of games on offer here, it's easy to see how this helped
shift so many ST's as the 80s drew to a close.
I mean, many of these titles were on sale at the same time for £20 or £30 each.
It's also easy to see how this kept many gamers - like myself - more than contented, pushing
the ST game market to dry up, just that little bit quicker.
But it's a double edge sword.
Without this pack, not as many STs would have been sold and the problem would remain.
Really the end of the ST as a gaming platform as inevitable, but at least I had great fun
with it whilst it lasted.