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During 1983, the term '3D' probably appeared in the title of more games than any other. Infact, it was used so freely that it ended up being seen as a sorry gimmick to mask a poor game. There were some exceptions though, none more so than Mervyn Escourt's Deathchase. There's a perfunctory storyline - something about mighty warlords battling for the forests - but never mind all that because this is one of the most instantly playable games ever. You must steer your motorbike through a forest and destroy two enemy bikes in order to progress onto the next level, where the forest becomes denser. Between each level there is a night section where the trees are seen slightly later (I think). The 3D effect is astounding and creates the sort of frantic excitement that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Just brilliant.

No apologies, no regrets. Y'see, spec-chums, I've been playing computer games for as long as computer games have existed. I've played thousands of them, from coin-op games to ZX81 games to Apple Macintosh games and all points in between. And the simple fact of the matter is that there isn't one in existence that's as exciting, as gripping, as tense, or as downright thrilling as this is. Written in 1982 in just 9K of memory, Deathchase puts you on a motorbike in a forest, with no purpose in life other than to chase other characters on motorbikes and kill them for bounty money. Your enemies don't shoot back at you (not even the the bonus-point tanks and helicopters), there are no power-ups, no end-of-level bosses, and the only things which can kill you are the trees of the forest itself. They don't TRY to kill you, of course, they just stand there, growing leaves and photosynthesising and doing whatever it is that trees do over the countless millennia, and wait for you to crash headlong into them at full tilt. And you will. The inanimate nature of your only enemy gives Deathchase addictive qualities which are almost unimaginable to anyone who hasn't played it. Y'see, when you get killed in Deathchase, it's nobody's fault but your own. The trees don't move, nothing shoots at you to distract you and you can even slow down or stop to catch your breath. Basically, there's absolutely no excuse for getting yourself splattered all over the forest except your own carelessness and impatience. Which means, of course, that the next time you play, you won't make any of those silly mistakes. Will you? Well, of course you will. The thing is, the game is so utterly simple (I mean, 'avoid the trees', it's almost insulting) that you don't see any reason to slow down, you can't accept that your skills as a games player aren't equal to the task. So off you go at top speed again, whizzing through the forest in fine dramatic style until you remember that you've got enemies to chase. So you swerve after them with your bullets zipping past just centimeters away, edge just that bit further over to get them into your sights, and BLAM! Another faceful of bark.
There's more to Deathchase than this, but not much more (as a wise man once said, more or less). For one thing there's the sound. Not that there's a lot of it, all you get is a scary siren effect at the start of each level and a jarring screech when you collide with one of these ubiquitous giant redwoods. The result, though, is so effective you wonder why no-one does it more often. The silence as you whip soundlessly between the trees just makes the sudden explosion of noise all the more terriying - this is a game that'll make you jump off your seat in fright if you play it at night with the lights off. And that reminds me - there's night time too. Every second level of Deathchase is a night level, with the same number of trees as the previous one but with the light blue sky turned pitch black. Theoretically it shouldn't make things any harder, but the atmosphere is so gloomy and oppressive that you find yourself crashing out of purpose out of sheer subconscious despair. The coming of dawn (when you finally manage to nail the two bikers) heralds an increased level of danger, but the relief of being back in daylight is so great that you almost welcome it.
Finally there are the 'bonuses'. Every now and again a tank or helicopter cruises slowly across the horizon from left to right. They don't shoot at you, they don't get in your way, they don't drop reinforcements for the bad guys, they don't do you harm in any way. Except that sometimes they're just too much of a sitting target to pass up, and you deviate from your path for a single second to bag the juicy points bonus you get for shooting them, and... BLAM! Time to leave your teethmarks for posterity once more. They never hurt you, but you'll grow to hate them.
Doesn't sound like much, does it? Bikes, trees, bonus targets and crashing. (Lots of crashing.) Only two real controls, hardly any sound, totally basic character square graphics and gameplay your dog could probably learn. I'm probably taking rubbish, all those years in front of flickering screens have probably destroyed my mind. It can't be that good really. So why not prove me wrong? Why don't you give it a try? What have you got to lose? Except the rest of your life, that is...

If ever there was a cult classic arcade game (on an 8-bit platform), then 3D Deathchase has to be it. Released at the tail end of 1983, this classic game is even more remarkable due to the fact that it was squeezed into only 16K of memory! (16K Spectrum)

Micromega really struck gold with this one, and it's timing of release which coincided with the movie Return of the Jedi (and it's famous 'speeder bike' scenes), helped sales along nicely.

Micromega would go on to release many more quality titles for the ZX Spectrum over the next few years such as Braxx Bluff, Codename MAT and the excellent adventure game, Kentilla.

ZX Spectrum Games 3D Deathchase
This arcade game was sooo simple, yet sooo addictive. The game is all about action, reflexes and a fast trigger finger.

You take the part of a motorbike riding mercenary, who has to pursue and destroy two other bikers (one yellow and one blue) through a forest (slightly strange circumstances, but what the heck eh?).

Besides being on the rapid side, your motorcycle was also equipped with a forward firing gun (which only fires when you are at full speed). The 'bullets' fired could be 'steered' in mid flight by the turning your bike to the left or right.

Anyway, it was up to you to pursue the bikers and basically blast them to bits (giving you $1000 for each kill). Once both are destroyed then the game would switch to 'Night patrol' and you would ride again through the inky darkness to hunt down your quarry.

3D Deathchase on the SpectrumTwo more kills and you would be onto the next stage, which would be a denser forest with more trees to avoid. Crashing into a tree meant instant death and the loss of a life.

It was a case of getting through all eight stages (both in day and night patrol) - completing stage eight returned you to level one. The occasional tank or helicopter would also stray across the screen and could be shot for bonus dollars - but you did not have to destroy them to complete the level.

A tank could be shot for bonus points
The later levels in this arcade game were thick with trees, and it would take all of your concentration to weave in and out of them - never mind trying to aim at Mr Blue biker. Like I said, the game was simple and had little depth, but it did keep you coming back for more.

On Release:
This game was well received and scored a whopping 92% in Crash magazine. Spectrum gamers marvelled at the incredibly fast 3D graphics and the intensity of the gameplay. The asking price of £6.95 was well within most peoples budgets, and 3D games at the time really caught the imagination of many. For pure arcade action, 3D Deathchase was hard to beat.

The test of time:
We here in the land of Spectrum games reckon that this title still holds appeal even today. Okay - the gameplay is simple, but it's still a total blast hurtling through the forest at break neck speed. It's the closest you'll ever get to having a go on a speeder bike! The programmer behind the game Mervyn Estcourt etched his name in retro history with 3D Deathchase. Legendary.

Stick on a bit of ROTJ (before the Ewoks come into it), grab a pair of goggles and give this classic game a go. You'll feel the wind in your hair.

We recommend getting hold of the real hardware - but if not then download a ZX Spectrum emulator and download 3D Deathchase for the ZX Spectrum. Alternatively you could try and play it online.

Please see our other game reviews and programmer interviews. All links are in alphabetical order. Cheers guys.

GENRE: 3D Arcade Game
RELEASE DATE: Tail end of 1983
RELEASED BY: Micromega
DEVELOPER(S): Mervyn Estcourt (Sometimes credited as Mervyn J Estcourt)
PRICE: £6.95 - UK

3D Deathchase is a 1983 computer game written for the ZX Spectrum by Mervyn Estcourt and published by Micromega in the UK and Ventamatic in Spain.

Gameplay

In-game screen. One of the bikes being pursued can be seen on the right of the screen.
The player controls a motorcycle-riding mercenary as he pursues two other motorcycles, one blue and one yellow, through a forest. Each enemy motorcycle destroyed is worth $1000 (i.e. points) to the player.[1] The player's motorcycle is equipped with forward-firing guns with which to shoot its quarry. The projectiles can be controlled mid-flight simply by steering the bike. If both enemy motorcycles are destroyed, the player moves to a night version of the same level. If both enemy motorcycles on that level are destroyed, the player moves on to a daytime level of the next stage (with more trees to avoid). There are also tanks and helicopters which appear on the horizon and can be shot for bonus points.

The game takes place over eight stages. When stage eight is completed, the game returns to the start.

Critical response

It received a positive reaction from the gaming press, garnering praise for what was then an advanced form of 3D gameplay. A contemporary review in the ZX Spectrum gaming magazine CRASH described 3D Deathchase as "an extremely simple idea for a game, and utterly compelling to play" and awarded the game 92%. In 1992 it was nominated as the best Spectrum game ever in the magazine Your Sinclair.

Remakes

Andrew Leyden's remake, Death Chase 2002 was highlighted in Edge magazine's Retro special. It was described as 'pleasant enough' but lacking the feel of the original.

The 'PlayStation Home' Alternate Reality Game 'Xi' featured a minigame based on the premise of '3D Deathchase' in which a player controlled a motorbike to weave through a forest of trees and pursue a helicopter.

Kiyanov Evgeniy's remake, "Dark Rider" was released on iPhone.

3D DEATHCHASE
Producer: Micromega
Memory required: 16K
Retail price: £6.95
Author: Mervyn Estcourt



Here’s a new game which really does deserve the 3D prefix! Considering that it’s packed into 16K, this has to be the best yet road race type game for the Spectrum.

The story line goes: It is 2501, one hundred years after the Great War and the North American continent is ruled by mighty warlords in constant conflict over forest territory. You are one of the elite mercenaries, Riders of the Big Bikes...

And so on...

But who cares about the story line? All our reviewers were stunned by the game and that’s what counts! What you get is a view over the Big Bike’s handlebars, with a pair of black leather clad hands gripping them. Before you is what appears to be a reasonably empty landscape with a couple of small trees in the distance. But as soon as you accelerate the picture changes. The trees suddenly seem to multiply — and they’re big!

Steering your bike between the trees, you chase after two other riders, firing photon bolts at them. A helicopter hovers around, occasionally landing. This too can be shot if you’re good.

And that’s about it. Except for the night patrol...

CRITICISM
‘This is an extremely simple idea for a game, and utterly compelling to play. Once you shoot up two riders the game automatically switches to night patrol. It’s a little harder to see the trees, and if you get through that, sector two day patrol adds a tank as well as the helicopters. The main problem is braking, not that you can’t, just that somehow you forget to in the excitement. Great graphics!’

‘There is a range indicator to let you know how close to the other bikes you are, but I never even noticed it because the 3D effect is so good you can fire by instinct as you would in real life. The graphics of the bolts firing away are very good and so is the explosion when you hit something, so realistic that the bits seem to fly up over your shoulders. Slamming into a tree at full tilt is quite an experience. This game is dangerously addictive to play.’

‘Return of the Jedi has nothing on this. The chase through the trees is breathtaking — quite literally. Fantastic graphics, exceptionally smooth movement, the bike handles really well (you can see the rider’s hands turning the handlebars). Buy it!’

COMMENTS
Keyboard positions: very good, 1 for left, zero for right, 8/9 brake/accelerate, and any bottom row key to fire
Joystick option: Kempston
Keyboard play: very responsive
Use of colour: good
Graphics: superb
Sound: very good
Skill levels: each sector gets harder
Lives: 3
General rating: excellent.

Use of computer 90%
Graphics 92%
Playability 95%
Getting started 85%
Addictive qualities 98%
Value for money 92%
Overall 92%