![Type-in Tacenda: Smiley v. the Grumpies [Amstrad CPC] @HarryYack](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LmAdwvV1BaY/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded December 2012 | Updated September 2026, 10 hours ago
If Centipods was the budget brand version of Centipede, then this is surely the free sample edition of Pac-Man. Roland Waddilove actually coded a few half-decent BASIC games in the mid-80s, but I really don't think this is one of them.
The main problem here is that it is not entirely clear how, or if you even can, defeat the enemy faces (henceforth referred to as 'ghosts' for obvious reasons). Without a method to effectively extinguish them, it is rather hard to evade the clutches (mouth?) of three frowny faces with simple yet deadly BASIC AI.
Weirdly, in a test recording for this, I did actually manage to defeat two of the three ghosts so either it *is* possible or I glitched out the game. I have not invested a second's worth of play in the game since I made this video so I am unable to confirm or deny this with any certainty.
Want a good Pac-Man game for the Amstrad? Well, you can't get much better than Pac-Man itself, I guess:
cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=7270
If Centipods was the budget brand version of Centipede, then this is surely the free sample edition of Pac-Man. Roland Waddilove actually coded a few half-decent BASIC games in the mid-80s, but I really don't think this is one of them.
The main problem here is that it is not entirely clear how, or if you even can, defeat the enemy faces (henceforth referred to as 'ghosts' for obvious reasons). Without a method to effectively extinguish them, it is rather hard to evade the clutches (mouth?) of three frowny faces with simple yet deadly BASIC AI.
Weirdly, in a test recording for this, I did actually manage to defeat two of the three ghosts so either it *is* possible or I glitched out the game. I have not invested a second's worth of play in the game since I made this video so I am unable to confirm or deny this with any certainty.
Want a good Pac-Man game for the Amstrad? Well, you can't get much better than Pac-Man itself, I guess:
cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=7270
![Type-in Tacenda: Smiley v. the Grumpies [Amstrad CPC]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/LmAdwvV1BaY/mqdefault.jpg "Type-in Tacenda: Smiley v. the Grumpies [Amstrad CPC]
If Centipods was the budget brand version of Centipede, then this is surely the free sample edition of Pac-Man. Roland Waddilove actually coded a few half-decent BASIC games in the mid-80s, but I really dont think this is one of them.
The main problem here is that it is not entirely clear how, or if you even can, defeat the enemy faces (henceforth referred to as ghosts for obvious reasons). Without a method to effectively extinguish them, it is rather hard to evade the clutches (mouth?) of three frowny faces with simple yet deadly BASIC AI.
Weirdly, in a test recording for this, I did actually manage to defeat two of the three ghosts so either it *is* possible or I glitched out the game. I have not invested a seconds worth of play in the game since I made this video so I am unable to confirm or deny this with any certainty.
Want a good Pac-Man game for the Amstrad? Well, you cant get much better than Pac-Man itself, I guess:
http://www.cpc-power.com/index.php?page=detail&num=7270")
![Supermans Dead - Music 2000/MTV Music Generator [PSX] rock/grunge original composition](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NEt8XwW0k2I/mqdefault.jpg "Supermans Dead - Music 2000/MTV Music Generator [PSX] rock/grunge original composition
A strange combination of noises thrown together in vaguely harmonious fashion. This tune, a slowish, grungy affair, represents the peak of my music composing with the game some years ago. Yes, it must have been about 2001 I created this monstrosity.
Anyway, you might be interested to know there were some lyrics. Ahem.
Supermans dead, he flew into the wall
He fell to the floor, which hurt him some more
*Cough*... yeah. Just so you know, Im not really a fan of grunge music and never have been, it just so happened that this particular track turned out that way.
PS Apparently there was a commercial band that released a song of the same name. I only discovered that today. So yeah, this has nothing to do with it.")
![Won 15p on Pub Trivia [Amstrad CPC]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NHLuMTj854o/mqdefault.jpg "Won 15p on Pub Trivia [Amstrad CPC]
Kids, *do* try gambling at home with Codemasters classic Pub Trivia!
Why bother walking a whole 20 feet to the pub across the road when you can sit here and watch Harry Yack feed virtual 10 pence pieces into a non-existent pub bandit? Because hes rubbish, thats why.
Cheeky plug for the backup channel: http://youtube.com/HarryYack
Heres that Arnold quote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8-HDUBbtgQ")
![Type-in Tacenda: Not worth examining - Stonefear Castle [Amstrad CPC]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NtDMlTWR72Y/mqdefault.jpg "Type-in Tacenda: Not worth examining - Stonefear Castle [Amstrad CPC]
Remember, people: do *not* feed the trolls. Unless they are about to eat you, in which situation it is just about acceptable to offer them the rest of your Kit Kat. While he stares in wonderment at the vivid red wrapper, thick dollops of saliva dripping from his grog-blossomed chin, one can make good ones exit. That is, if you know the correct command(s).
Sadly, with these simplistic text adventure games, it is more a case of finding out what you have to do than having fun exploring what you arent supposed to. As a result, you could very easily get stuck for days, perhaps weeks, until someone tells you you have to combine the hammer and the candle to create a bandage to fix your sword. Only *then* does it all become obvious. But then you realise youre stuck on the next part and promptly give up once more. :P
That sad part is, I havent even got far enough into the game for the troll to kill me! Nothing I do or say affects him in any way, as if he is waiting patiently for the trigger word or action like a spy from one of Ian Flemings Bond novels. I know it is possible to die, for I have seen the games code thanks to that handy LIST command. I am too much of a BASIC noob, however, to decipher the correct solution from it. Boo!")
![Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? UK [PSX] & 2nd Edition GRUMPY Video Review](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/OTAij8qpAsA/mqdefault.jpg "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? UK [PSX] & 2nd Edition GRUMPY Video Review
Harry Yack takes a look back at a game so culturally significant it hardly matters.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire stood proudly atop the video games sales charts for weeks, nay months, after its release. This delivers false promise, for due to the unbelievable popularity of the TV show, every other parent who got their kid a Playstation for Christmas went out to Dixons and bought a copy. For 35 quid. In actuality, all you get is a bog-standard question and answer affair, and you know how fantastically those types of games translate to the Playstation. Exactly, they dont.
For that sort of price, youd at least expect some half decent bonus games beyond a single fastest-finger first playoff. Sadly, you cannot take on Tarrant in hand-to-hand combat over that cheque for £64,000, nor can you go on a rampage around the Millionaire studio hunting for collectables - in this case empty coffee cartons and bottles of Benylin.
Not that it would be all that difficult, with the audience having gone home some three and half hours ago. But at least it would have offered something new beyond the entertainment you can get from simply watching the TV show on Challenge. For free. Well, not counting that hefty cable/satellite subscription Murdoch/Branson has you forking out month after month. Blasted phone hacking/hot air balloon flying media moguls.
Director commentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBpC78r-0lI")
![Harrier Attack 30th Anniversary Challenge [Amstrad CPC] IN COLOUR!](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/P186dPOSXYI/mqdefault.jpg "Harrier Attack 30th Anniversary Challenge [Amstrad CPC] IN COLOUR!
The Speccy/Amstrad get shot em up classic enters its third decade in existence sometime this year. To celebrate, Harry Yack attempts to do something he never quite managed in the early to mid-Nineties: eat a whole five finger Kit Kat. Indeed, such things werent invented back then (I think - someone will be along to confirm it after lunch).
To make things a *bit* more interesting, while Mr Yack stuffs his gob with melted wafer theres free* footage of some game or other. I dunno; I forgot all about it because this was recorded some time in late 2012, possibly.
Apologies for frame skip and slurring. My computer was drunk and my brain fell out, OK?
From the (now sadly defunct) official Durell website:
Harrier Attack was a resounding success for Durell, selling over 250,000 copies in total, worldwide, and becoming Durells number one best seller.
HY addendum: Alan Sugar gave away a further nine billion copies of the game as free software bundled with the Amstrad CPC464.
Happy birthday, Harrier Attack, you owd get.")
![Late Night with Pokemon Green [Game Boy]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pq307Wbkdxw/mqdefault.jpg "Late Night with Pokemon Green [Game Boy]
Warning: This video is certainly not for kids. Actually, neither is Pokemon Green Engrish - its full of not-so-subtle innuendo and references to parts of the body you wouldnt want your 10-year old child knowing about for a good few years yet.")
![Selfie: Sisters of the Amniotic Lens [14/05/15] Messages of hope in a world of bum numbness.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/PtDJ0emrrDI/mqdefault.jpg "Selfie: Sisters of the Amniotic Lens [14/05/15] Messages of hope in a world of bum numbness.
Join the lens... http://store.steampowered.com/app/287140/
Guest starring a bottle message left by a certain subscriber! :)
Your message offers hope in a world of bum numbness. Cheers.
Once, at the age of 12, I set a cat on fire... Nobody will find this out. You live too far from me and our eyes will never cross on the street.
This game truly is a life changer... To everyone who reads this, in this crazy fd up realm we live in, I want you to know that love for your fellow man... is the key to enlightenment.
If I met you on the street, would you spare me the laser beam in the groin?
Next time: A tribute to the Madchester beat. Maybe - depends on how many people remember that New Order song.")
![VERY GLITCHED Street Gang Football! [Amstrad CPC]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QYJHcDnabos/mqdefault.jpg "VERY GLITCHED Street Gang Football! [Amstrad CPC]
Look out for the glitches!
Dodgy hacked ROMs invariably lead to unexpected hilarity, and this one is no exception. Watch as Harry Yacks emulator crumbles under the weight of this Codies classic... will his Windows 8 computer survive the experience?
Listen as a wizened old bovid pines for the days of booting balls at passing cars and legging it when its driver brakes and chases after you, fist held aloft.
Someone tell CollieUK to do this one. Ill send him a fiver if he agrees.
Music by D. Whittaker. Cheers, D.
http://cpcrulez.fr/GamesTest/street_gang_football.htm
7:40 for all you glitch hunters out there.")
