MINORITY REPORT: COMMODORE 16

INTERESTING GAMES YOU'VE NEVER PLAYED

With it being issue 264, it seemed only fitting that we should turn our attention to the Commodore 264 range, and in particular the lesserknown hits for the intriguingly imperfect Commodore 16

Words by Martyn Carroll

[C16] These collapsible floors and quirky enemies point to Manic Miner being an influence on the game.

[C16] If you can’t find a handy ladder, the springs do an equally good job of propelling Tom upwards.

TOM THUMB

■ DEVELOPER: UDO GERTZ ■ YEAR: 1985

■ The Commodore 16 was hamstrung from the start. Compared to the Commodore 64, it lacked hardware sprites and the SID sound chip. But its key limitation was memory, or lack of, shipping with just 16Kb. The computer was designed to compete with low-cost micros like the ZX Spectrum, but by the time it launched in 1984, even Sinclair understood that 16Kb was not enough. The C16’s sibling, the Plus/4, did come with 64Kb, and it was possible to purchase third-party RAM packs that would boost the C16’s memory to 32 or 64Kb, but software publishers understandably targeted the largest possible userbase, meaning most games were designed to run inside 16Kb. This ceiling limited the kinds of games available. Simplicity was the order of the day, and singlescreen shooters and text-only adventures were prevalent. But with the release of Tom Thumb, German programmer Udo Gertz proved that 16Kb was plenty.

Initially the game looks like a rather crude platformer with rudimentary graphics. Sound-wise, a gloomy tune plays as you start to explore. But it quickly becomes clear that Tom Thumb is no onescreen wonder. Maze-like passages spread out before you and you’ll soon encounter keys which unlock doors that open up even more of this labyrinthine pyramid. It turns out there are 178 screens standing between tiny Tom and the exit. 178! And it’s not flip-screen either – the game scrolls smoothly in multiple directions. Furthermore, this isn’t a big old empty game where all the memory has gone on the map. The pyramid is alive with nasties and traps just waiting to claim Tom’s five lives. Perhaps the one negative is the presence of what we call the ‘Frogger experience’, where, like in Konami’s arcade classic, literally every single thing you touch kills you. Even the pretty little flowers are deadly. But the need to persevere (which means mastering Tom’s odd jumping style) and explore the game’s deepest reaches is strong.