PrinceWatercress plays Trackman

Here's a rather quaint arcade-style game for the BBC Micro. Keeping trains on track and getting them to the station on time may seem complex, but it's simpler - and more fun - than one would think...if you're ready to think, anyway.

Longplay

Trackman aka Trackman Game is a game published in two magazine in 1985 by Tom and Silas Standage, with one of the publications making it easier to run on the Acorn Electron, the precursor to the BBC Micro.

Guide the train(s) safely around the track until the timer reaches zero. Then, shunt each train back to the station as quickly as possible.

To change the direction of the points (so that you can keep the trains on the tracks), press Z, X, B, N and M. The letters for each point is clearly marked and within view of the point to which each letter is assigned. Press the space bar to reverse the directions that the trains are traveling in.

The game starts with one train, but you'll soon two, then three...and then four, if you somehow make it that far. The trains will be in different colors but will still be small squares with X's in them to differentiate them from the train tracks. You'll need to keep an eye on all of the trains and the corners you'll need to change the direction of to keep all the trains on track. If two trains collide into each other, or if a train derails because a point is not connected to the train's current path, you'll lose a life. Lose all your lives and it's game over.

Thankfully, the configuration of the track never changes, so you'll be able to memorize it no matter how long or far you go in the game; it will always be the same. However, that knowledge will be put to the test when you have more and more trains showing up for you to keep an eye on.

At the bottom of the screen, there is your wages (score), your current level, your current amount of lives, and the amount of time you have left. You gain wages by surviving, and even more wages if you get all the trains back to the station as quickly as possible when the timer moves forward. If you take too much time, you'll lose wages, which is something you don't want to do.

This one is a fun to play if you're ready, willing and able to put your thinking cap on and keep track of multiple things at once, especially when you get into the later levels. The graphics may be simple, the sound and music may sound like an SG-1000 game, but I certainly had no problems with the play controls and I had more fun with this one than I thought I would. All in all, this is a pretty fun game, especially when you get the hang of it. Just remember to put your thinking cap on.