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Hi everyone, Ad Lunam Plus and its 48K text-only counterpart Ad Lunam have been re-released under the Zankle Soft label. Both games have been updated to version 1.2 to reflect this change.

Download them from here, and have fun trying to reach the Moon

[Cousin Horace,]

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Hi everyone,

today I released a new version of a game under the Zankle Soft label. This time it's Cousin Horace, a 5-part epic starring the US-born relative of the character all Spectrum aficionados know and love. It is a mix of platform, shoot-em-up, puzzle solving and maze exploration, with an immersive plot illustrated by "Spectrumized" pictures and comic book-styled in-between screens.

Cousin Horace runs on a ZX Spectrum 48K and later models. Game and documentation are available in six languages.

The game was rated 90% and awarded a Sizzler award in Retro Gamer #136. It has also been released on cassette by Bitmap Soft, but it is currently sold out. Please contact them if you are interested in a reissue.

Download it at its page on itch.io and have fun!

[Zankle Soft]

Hi everyone, Sophia II gets a new edition under the Zankle Soft label and a physical release from Bitmap Soft.

The latter also includes an exclusive bonus level especially made for it.

Links:

https://zanklesoft.itch.io/sophia-ii

https://www.bitmapsoft.co.uk/product/sophia-zx-spectrum-128k

[https://zanklesoft.itch.io/sophia]

Hi folks,

Sophia is now available as a free download under my new label, Zankle Soft, at:

https://zanklesoft.itch.io/sophia

Bitmap Soft has just released the game on cassette. This version includes an exclusive bonus level, which is not available with the free download. You can find it at:

https://www.bitmapsoft.co.uk/product/sophia/

Tomorrow at 19.00 Central European Time, Sergey Yakimovich will present on his YouTube channel my new game: Italia 1944. The game will be available in the next few days and released under my own label, Zankle Soft. My previous games will all be re-released, and several of them revised and updated, under it. More news soon!

The direct is aimed at the Russian public, but I will be speaking English, so that (almost) everyone else can understand as well (hopefully!).

See you there!



Here follows the press release - like in the good old days!

What is ZANKLE SOFT?

ZANKLE SOFT is a new reality among creators of games for "retro" systems, in particular for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It has been founded on the initiative of Alessandro Grussu, enthusiast developer for this platform since 2012.

Both previously released games, many of them revised and updated, as well as completely new titles will be distributed under this label.

The first new release will be ITALIA 1944, a mixture of role-playing game and graphic adventure, completely icon-controlled, set in the Italian Campaign of World War II.

At the same time, new editions of LOST IN MY SPECTRUM and APULIJA-13 will be released. Other titles will follow.

ZANKLE SOFT awaits you on its web page: zanklesoft.itch.io

Thank you so much!

I hope you liked the features as well.

Hi everyone,
after last year’s positive reception, I published my new Spectrum Annual.
52 pages of game reviews, a report on the Next, an article on the Power Up! Action Pack, an interview with Jose Rodriguez (the author of ZX Basic), development notes on my latest games, Funky Fungus Reloaded and Ad Lunam Plus, and previews of my upcoming projects.
The Annual is available in three languages: Italian, English and Spanish.
And it’s completely free!



Download it from here: http://www.alessandrogrussu.it/annuario.html

[version 1.1.]

And now it is the time for version 1.1. Many of the changes were made for consistency with Ad Lunam Plus; in addition to that, several potential bugs discovered when the code was taken as the basis for Ad Lunam Plus were fixed.

Note: savegames for this version are not compatible with those from version 1.01.

• At game start, you now have to choose your country first, then the difficulty level.
• ­Some specifications have been changed, see user manual for details.
• The initial funds amount for easy, medium and hard difficulty changes from 150, 120 and 90 to 170, 135 and 100 respectively.
• Initial prestige for easy, medium and hard difficulty changes from 90, 80 and 70 to 105, 90 and 75 respectively.
• Calculation of funds assigned every year according to prestige is slightly more favorable.
• Possible extra funds/budget cuts at the end of a turn are fixed at +20/-20.
• The criteria for the calculation of the final score have been modified.
• Various corrections and optimizations in the game code and messages.
• New “Tips” section in the user manual.

A new build (hopefully, the last! ) has been released today.

Savegames from the previous two builds (15.07.2020 and 17.07.2020) are compatible with this one. If you have a game in progress, save it and load the savegame in the new build.

What's new:

• The criteria for the calculation of the final score have been modified.
• (English version only) Deleted a superfluous dot in a secret service report.

More news ahead!

• We have the first winner: a user reached the Moon playing with the Soviets. Well done, comrade director! 
• A discrepancy between variables in the mission control block that could create problems when a pilot was injured or killed during a mission has been fixed.
• English version only: a printing error in the "...ONAUT UNAVAILABLE" message when you try to assign an unavailable pilot to a manned mission has been corrected.

[Version 1.1]

Sure!  And in fact, here is...

Version 1.1

What's new:

• Some specifications have been changed (see user manual for details).
• The initial funds amount for easy, medium and hard difficulty changes from 150, 120 and 90 to 170, 135 and 100 respectively.
• Initial prestige for easy, medium and hard difficulty changes from 90, 80 and 70 to 105, 90 and 75 respectively.
• Calculation of funds assigned every year according to prestige is slightly more favorable.
• Possible extra funds/budget cuts at the end of a turn do not depend upon difficulty anymore and are fixed at +20/-20.
• Various corrections and optimizations in the game code and messages.
  
• New “Tips” section in the user manual.

Download link is the same as before. Enjoy!

Update: a user reported a bug in the final lunar manned mission, which has been now fixed.

Thanks TrekMD!

Meanwhile, another small update: "MISSIONI" instead of "MISSIONS" in the missions main menu has been corrected.

[Update:]

Update: A bug affecting pilots management and a garbled text in the English version have been fixed.

[Ad Lunam Plus.]

Ad Lunam was a proof of concept, designed to fit into the humble ZX Spectrum 48K. Here is its big brother, Ad Lunam Plus.



The game is now a 128K exclusive - although I have, as for several of my other titles, considered to make a TR-DOS version which can be run on the 48K with a DivIDE/DivMMC. and ESXDOS - and features graphics for many of its sections and AY sound for national anthems and end-of-game congratulations.


Will you impersonate Von Braun or Korolev?


The main menu

There are other tweakings and enhancements, for instance "pilots" are now aptly called "astronauts" and "cosmonauts" and you can even see their faces when selecting them for training.


Choose an ability to train John Glenn in

In the R&D section, you are now able to see pictures of what you are actually researching.


Soviet research and development main menu


American rockets

Facilities (previously called "structures") can also be seen now, even when they are under construction/repair.


The advanced training facility is being built, while launch pad 1 hosts a rocket for a planned mission

You can now follow missions from the control room.


Engines started, lift off

End-of-turn messages and communications will be shown as papers on a desktop.


The president is pleased with our work

The game is currently at version 1.0 and like its predecessor is available in Italian, English and Spanish. Please report any feedback about possible bugs/strange behavior/typos etc. here or to my email address (shown in the manual).

Enjoy!

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