MazezaM (ColecoVision)

MazezaM is a puzzle game, where the player have to pass through the levels by sliding the walls to left and right, opening corridors between. The rules seem simple, but the game is not as easy as it looks at first sight, especially on the later levels, where the walls are much wider, the corridors smaller and the rooms are generally bigger and harder, meaning much more attention and logic have to be put to solve the puzzle. Sometimes the reach to the end seem unsolvable, but there is always a solution at the beginning. If a level is rendered by the player unsolvable, there is a possibility for a replay in the room from the initial position, but this is at the cost of a life. After all the lives are used, the game is over and have to be started again from the first level. If the level room is passed, the player is rewarded with extra life, which comes handy in the next levels. The puzzle game for the ColecoVision was released shortly after I did my first successful ports for the console with the Hitech C compiler. I used the C basis from the AntiISDA Warrior port to the ColecoVision and the CP/M version of the game. I used the C language again, because programs in high level languages are much easier to debug or added new features to them. The game is not resource demanding and works fine. Later versions were compiled with the newer, faster and open source SDCC compiler, polished and added two extra levels. The graphics are done with the use of game's own character set, RLE compressed in the ROM, which are decompressed after the initial startup of the game. The use of compression techniques on the console saves precious space, where it is very limited by the use of ROM chips. This at the expense of only a small little delay at the beginning of the game. Because of the limited memory of the consoles, the decompression most of the time have to be done every time before each level, but with this game, because the character set is the same during all the levels, this is not needed, meaning that there is no delay between the levels. The sound during the game is minimal.

The Colecovision version features a whole set of twelve levels in total. Some of the rooms are small and very easy to overcome, but some of them are wide and a real headache to pass. The game is available on very wide range of platforms, with peculiarities and features corresponding to each different version, most of which where started from scratch and build upon. Currently it is available for the following computer and console systems:

• Sinclair ZX Spectrum - original version written by Malcolm Tyrrell,
• Amiga - the most worked on and polished version of any platform. The main basis for the other ports.
• Apple Mac OS X - exact port of the AmigaOS 4 version.
• Apple II - 4K minigame version with high resolution graphics and sprites,
• Oric Atmos - the puzzle game returned back to its original platform,
• Commodore 64 - written in 6502 assembler with nice music,
• Game Boy Color (Classic) - colorful version for the little handheld,
• Super Nintendo - SNES version with double sized graphics,
• CP/M - version in text mode working on this ancient platform with VT52 terminal,
• Windows - another exact port of the AmigaOS 4 version.
• Java applet - version working in Java enabled browsers,
• Rockbox - the game on the open sourced firmware for mp3 players.

MazezaM is very catchy game and its wide availability on the different range of platforms, makes it a perfect game for the logic games fans. The game presence on the ColecoVision console and the Coleco ADAM computer, is a plus for all the retro fans, enjoying the classic console.

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