THE SPECTRUM GAMES DATABASE SABRE WULF PUBLISHER Ultimate Play The Game (Ashby Computers and Graphics) AUTHORS Chris and Tim Stamper YEAR OF RELEASE July 1984 DESCRIPTION Sabre Wulf is a flip screen arcade adventure which is set in a deep jungle. You control the Sabreman and your mission is to help him escape by collecting four parts of a sacred amulet. Key areas to explore in the game are the jungle, the mountains and also the caves. To hinder your mission are all types of animals and monsters which will get in your way. Most of these can be destroyed with a simple swipe of your sword, but, you will find that your sword has no affect against the power of the Sabre Wulf. Only the amulet will see him off and lead you to freedom. INSTRUCTIONS The object of the game is to collect all four parts of the ACG amulet, destroy the SabreWulf, and then escape from your jungle prison. CONTROLS KEYBOARD CONTROLS LEFT Your Explorer will move left using the Q key. RIGHT Your Explorer will move right using the W key. DOWN Your Explorer will move down using the E key. UP Your Explorer will move up using the R key. STAB/SWORD FIGHT Your Explorer will fight using the T key. PAUSE The whole game can be paused by using the CAPS SHIFT or SPACE/BREAK keys. JOYSTICK CONTROLS Your Explorer can be fully controlled by using the KEMPSTON INTERFACE, CURSOR CONTROLLED INTERFACE or the SINCLAIR INTERFACE II and joystick, by replacing the LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN and STAB/SWORD FIGHT commands. PICK UP Your Explorer will automatically collect any useful objects required by passing over them. CHEATS SEQUELS/PREQUELS Sabre Wulf was the sequel to Ultimate`s previous arcade adventure, Atic Atac and was VERY similar in style. Upon completing SabreWulf, Sabreman finds himself in Ultimate`s next game, Underwurlde. INLAY CARD TEXT Down and down I plunged, through Rocky Glades, Steep Ravines and Shady Hollows...No grip, no footholds, slipping, tumbling, spinning, darker and darker, deeper and deeper. Glinting eyes, clutching hands, clasping claws, clawing my all, as I swiftly twist and tumble onwards. Darker and darker, deeper and deeper. It is the end that I fear, of this untroden voyage...to where I do not know...AARRRGGGG...THUDD... Fall and end meet on soft mossy soil...with weapons drawn and senses full I move quickly and quietly around the mounded clearing...All safe except a message...An ancient warning etched deep into the lifeless stone. THE WARNING THY PATH IS LONG SO TREAD WITH CARE BEWARE THE WULF AND PASS HIS LAIR DANGER THREATENS ALL AROUND SO TAKE YE FROM THIS HIDDEN MOUND TO FREE THEE FROM THIS SUNKEN GATE BY WAY OF CAVE OR MEET THY FATE AN AMULET TO SEEK THY WILL `TWAS SPLIT BY QUAD AND HIDDEN STILL PASS THE KEEPER WROUGHT WITH HATE TO GAIN AN ENTRANCE TO THE GATE THE PIECES LOST MUST THEE AMAS FOR IF NO CHARM THEN NON SHALL PASS THE EXPLORATION I edge through the shady mounded clearing and on through the dense thickets of hot house rain forest undergrowth, of sorts I cannot tell, and wait...and listen...Distant rumblings of heavy feet crashing, large animals leap from the damp green stubble, to fight and kill. I stay hidden...The rumblings grow louder and louder, as a huge Goliath animal crashes past, horns swiping and tail lashing, still I hide as its thunderous noise dies away. All was clear as I leapt over the clumps and onto the well trodden pathway, its deep ruts and prints reveal the multitude of life forms inhabiting this hollow. Danger threatens so I should move quickly... But Where??? THE EXPLORATION Wide eyed, I stare, as the dense surroundings reveal their hidden secrets...Strange food orchids suddenly bloom, their staining toxins, strong on the air, then, in an instant, are gone. Hunters, killers, vampire bats and huge beasts spring forth from the very ground, swimming, slithering, diving and crawling...I must hide...Stay safe...With weapon strong and cunning nature, I will survive... SABRE WULF FEATURES ------------------- SABREMAN Temples Realistic Fighting Lakes WULVES Trees Hippos Jungle Rhinos Native Huts Wart Hogs Cliffs Tarantulas Magic Rings Fruit Bats Yellow Sickness Orchids Parrots White Cure Orchids Gorillas Red Zombie Orchids Scorpions Blue Super High Energy Orchids Snakes Purple De-Orientation Orchids Lizards 3-Dimensional Scenarion Natives Full 8 Way Movement Gem Stones On Screen Scoring Dubbloons Superb Graphics Supplies Multi Lives Amulets Amazing Animation Medallion Combat Button Callice Incredible Sound Effects Voodoo Potion Explosions Spears Keyboard/Joystick Select Treasure Chests Automatic Pause Water Flasks Materializations Supplies Statues SCORES/REVIEWS CRASH, Issue: 6, Page: 62, Rating: Unratable! SNAPSHOTS/URLS FACTS ABOUT THE GAME When the game was first reviewed in Crash way back in 1984, it wasn`t given a percentage score due to the fact that the reviewers thought it was so good it was UNRATABLE! A few months passed and readers wanted Crash to give an exact percentage rating fo r the game, they re-reviewed it and gave it somewhere between 90-96% One frequently asked question about Sabre Wulf is "Why do the Rhino's sometimes run backwards?" This is not a programming bug as had I previously thought, but because many emulators do not emulate an undocumented feature of the Spectrum, namely the "R" register. Lack of this feature causes the Rhino's to run backwards. It also has an effect in Ghosts & Goblins (Elite), and it is also used for Speedlock. Like I have said before though, there is a much fuller explanation in the Spectrum FAQ and the docs to Z80. NOTES Sabrewulf was the second Ultimate game that was featured in a Crash competition (AticAtac was the first) which asked the readers to produce a map of all the screens in the game. The prize for the best map won the sacred ACG amulet and a copy of another Ultimate game. Sabrewulf was also a departure for the Stamper brothers who had previously released their games in small cassette sized cases for the sum of 5.95. This new game went on sale at the (then hefty) price of 9.95 and came with a larger, cardboard box. Ultimate said the price increase was to cover higher production costs. The game can also be found on the 4-pack compilation, "They Sold a Million" which also featured Daley Thompsons Decathlon, Beachhead and all time classic, Jet Set Willy.