In many ways I consider the Amstrad CPC version of both Rick games to be the weakest of the three 8-bit versions. CPC owners won't like that, but all I'll say is you should have bought a Speccy instead...

The Amstrad's graphics fall in the middle ground between the other two models. The colours are far brighter than the C64's, and there is none of the colour clash associated with the Spectrum. Unfortunately, to be able to use more than four colours, the graphics had to be entirely drawn in double pixels. This makes for some truly ugly scenery, and the game may have been better off drawn in single-pixel, four-colour graphics.

Incidenatlly, five of the seven Dizzy platorm games for the CPC (I haven't looked at the arcade games) were made in black/red/green/white and this worked well enough, given the limitations of the machine; Crystal Kingdom Dizzy was made in full-colour, double-pixel graphics and looked awful. If I remember rightly, someone once compared it to looking at a parrot through smashed glass...

The one positive point about the graphics is, as with the C64, the lack of Speccy-style colour clash means overlaid objects such as spikes and moving walls can be seen easier.

The sound is very similar to the Spectrum's, when tested on a CPC 6128.

A fair amount has changed Amstrad-wise since this page was first built. CaPriCe 32 still seems to be the emulator of choice, though I now find my version 1.11 (from 1998) has broken down and the latest version (3.61) refuses to run at anything like normal pace. Should it ever end up working properly, it looks like it will be the CPC's answer to the Spectaculators, Spins and ZX32s of the Spectrum world.

I have also been recommended to use Arnold, though a test of that reveals the most horrific sound problems you'll ever hear. It also seems that Arnold has no way of switching off the irritating scanline display which appears to be becoming a common trait amongst later 8-bit emulators.

Here's some basic operating instructions for CaPriCe 32 v1.11, for those who can find a copy.

To run a game, press F6 to enter the disk selection menu. Highlight either RICKD.DSK or RICKD2.DSK (as they should be named) - press ENTER and nothing happens. To load the disk, type cat to first see the contents of the disk. The file required should have a .BAS extension. If this is FILE.BAS or marked with a star then type run"file (no other quote needed) to start the game. To cut a long story short, run"rick and run"rick2, respectively, is what you need to type in each case.

CaPriCe 32 has a save-snapshot facility. Press CTRL+F4 to enter the snapshot menu, press INSERT to add a new snapshot to the list. CTRL+F2 will load the snapshot again.

In both cases here, the "Go to the site" links to the NVG's FTP server, as the versions on classicgaming.com had no cheats and were prone to crashing. Their version of Rick 2 completely left out the Fat Guy's Headquarters...

EMULATORS
CaPriCe 32 emulator, v3.61:	Go to the site
Arnold emulator:	Go to the site
GAME FILES
Rick 1:	Go to the site	Direct download
Rick 2:	Go to the site	Direct download

There is also a version that is playable online at: cpcrulez.free.fr/online.php?tjeu=rick_dangerous, in the Java-based Arnold Junior emulator.

The Amstrad version can use keys and a joystick almost simultaneously; it is possible to use one or the other at any stage during a game. The keys are:

O = up, K = down, Z = left, X = right, SPACE = fire, H = pause, Q = quit.

F8 can be used to select control option for using a joystick. I have no joystick to test CaPriCe's abilities with joysticks, but keyboard emulation of the joystick is possible, and the keys are as follows:

HOME = up, END = down, DELETE = left, PAGE DOWN = right, R-CTRL = fire.

See the "How to play Rick Dangerous" page to see how to use Rick's arsenal of weapons.

I have looked around for cheats for the Amstrad version, and I can find none. Anyone who knows any should not hesitate to get in contact. I expect they will be in the form of pokes.

That said, NVG's Rick disks come with cheat menus anyway.

Hit the thumbnail to see a full-size version of the screenshot.

RICK 1 TITLE SCREEN	SOUTH AMERICA	EGYPT	SCHWARZENDUMPF CASTLE	MISSILE BASE
RICK 2 TITLE SCREEN	HYDE PARK	THE ICE CAVERNS OF FREEZIA	THE FORESTS OF VEGETABLIA	THE ATOMIC MUD MINES	THE FAT GUY'S HEADQUARTERS