Ocean Depths – By Starcat Productions

The first ever release for the Jaguar by Starcat, Ocean Depths, is not a game as such more of a collection of 3 different things. First up we have Ocean Depths itself which is basically just a slideshow of pre-rendered images of scenes from under the sea. It all looks very nice but you can’t help feeling that it’s a bit pointless. Next up we an early demo of Starcat’s massive Eerievale project that has been in production longer than I can remember! Last of all we have a full mini-game called Jag Mind, that later got a standalone sequel. This is a fun computerised version of that mastermind game we all had as kids. So overall there isn’t really anything here that will make you want to rush off and get it but its certainly an interesting thing to have in your collection, even if just from a historical point of view.

4/10

 Orion Collection – By Orionsoft

Another great freebie for the Jaguar CD this disc contains a collection of 8 games and demos produced over the years by Orion. First up there is the previously available Diam Jag and his winning Jagcode 500 entry Jungle Jag that I have reviewed elsewhere separately. Then we have a simple raycaster demo produced for RGC and a 3D-model demo. Two versions of the cancelled Sea Plane game for the fabled Jaguar Compact Flash are next. An overhead 360 degree scrolling shoot ‘em up a bit like the classic Time Pilot, Sea Plane, has no enemies to shoot at or any real gameplay as such, you just fly over a nice looking landscape. The real star of this collection is Osmozys, which is the 3D sequel to Diam Jag. Now you have to collect the diamonds in full 3D and be careful not to get lost in space! There are 2 version of this too, the original build and one with fancy backdrops, for me this collection is worth downloading just for this game alone. This CD was a great idea by Orion and it would be great to see more releases like this and the similar Lost Treasures from Starcat in the future.

8/10

 Painter – By Sinister Developments

This is a much overlooked strategy puzzle game for the Jag CD by Sinister Developments who, as well as being one of the first devs to sign up for the Jag, also made a host of droolingly good versions of classic arcade games for the ST such as Galaxian and Asteroids. The premise: quite simple, to colour in the whole of a maze. The challenge: some annoying little bug chasing you trying to kill you and a time limit. The trick: to use your blockers effectively and find the quickest route. This also a conversion of their ST game of the same name and while it doesn't add much in the graphics department it does add a brand new digital soundtrack, which is very funky too. Very addictive and very frustrating but ultimately very enjoyable. The password system helps makes this a great little game for the disc orientated Jaggy.

8/10

 Primal Rage – By Time Warner Interactive

Orginally an arcade game by the coin-op division of Atari, Primal Rage, was revolutionary at the time as it used models and stop-motion animation to recreate the graphics much like an early monster movie. It’s a fighting game very much in the Mortal Kombat style but with a prehistoric theme. You get to choose between a selection of dinosaurs and giant woolly apes before you do battle in front of tiny watching cavemen! As well as your standard special moves you also have the now obligatory finishers that include some great comedy deaths as well as more gruesome ones. This is one of the few games on the Jaguar that makes full use of the 6 button pro-controller, owners of the original pad will need to use the keypad to pull off some moves. The graphics in this conversion seem to be a bit smaller than the coin-op, which is a bit strange, but they do look very nice indeed. The sound is all good with nice music and great sound effects. It plays much quicker and more fluid than the 16-bit versions and is great fun in 2-player mode. The only big thing that lets this game down is the obscene load times, it’s almost like being back in the days of the Spectrum! There is no excuse for this at all but that aside Primal Rage is a very good fighting game for the Jag CD.

8/10

 Reactris – By U-235

This Tetris clone was coded at the AC2011 festival in France by Linkovitch with graphics by sh3-rg of Reboot. Since the event some minor bug fixes have been made to the project and it was released as a CD image (as well as a ROM for Skunkboards) for others to play. This is a very basic effort indeed, there is no sound and lots of annoying glitches that make it nearly unplayable. The most concerning of these is the unresponsive controls that totally ruin the game once it gets fast. Button presses just don’t seem to register sometimes and just as annoying but for different reasons you can’t drop your blocks quicker either (down does nothing). There is also a weird graphical glitch where when the tetrominoes touch down they appear to go too far and then jump back up slightly to the right place. You will also have to play your game in total silence as there is no music or sound effects either. If you want to play Tetris on the Jaguar then stick to the infinitely superior Jag-Tris for your fix as I am sorry to say that this game is utter trash in it’s current state and will need some serious work done on it to make it playable.

2/10

 Robinson’s Requiem – By Silmarils / Songbird

Us poor game starved Jag CD owners have been waiting over 15 years for the release of this game. Robinson’s Requiem, was due to be a release game for the CD unit and was one of the games shown on the systems box. Despite being finished it was never released and sat in the hands of a collector for many years. The action unfolds in the middle of the twenty-second century, at a time when the Earth and some of its colonised planets are already over-populated. Robinson is the nickname given to members of AWE - Alien World Exploration - a military body whose task it is to explore totally unknown planets. You are a Robinson and your last ever mission takes you to an uncharted planet where something goes horribly wrong. Now you must survive the harsh environment and somehow make your way home. You must explore and survive in this hostile alien environment, while using the game's systems to monitor your health status, perform surgery and create makeshift tools. Lots of useful things can be found around the planet and added to your inventory. You can also kill other characters in the game too and steal theirs too. The game looks much like a FPS with its first person view and a 3D landscape but plays more like a complex adventure game with RPG elements. The world its self is huge and you will need to make a lot of use of the map and even take notes! If you go to the Songbird site you can also download the white book which contains lots of hints and tips to help you play the game. This Jag CD version is by far the most impressive one available with a superb 3D engine that features a great draw distance and is fully texture mapped too! While this game won’t appeal to all, adventure game fans will find the best example of this genre on this machine right here.

9/10