50 ST Games you have to play - Book Review

"50 ST Games you have to play" by Karl Morris is the latest release from Zafinn Books and, as the title states, gives you a list of ST games that you have to play (in the author's opinion). It is not just that as you can probably tell from the cover. It is also a celebration marking the 35th anniversary of the ST range (1985-2020) as well. Unlike the two previous coffee table-style Atari-themed volumes from Zafinn Books (reviewed here), 50ST (that's what I'll be calling it for the rest of this review) is a 220-page A5 book of predictably high print quality and good production values. A couple of stickers were also included with the book.

Priced at €35 including postage (about £32 depending on the conversion rate), this may seem a little steep to some but, as with the "We Love Atari" books, this is a small scale independent publisher focussing on a niche market and when you consider the cost of postage (€7.50), I don't think the price is too high at all when you consider what you get.  

Of course, if this were just the author's 50 favourite games, it would be an interesting read, finding out why each particular game made it onto the list, but also a pretty boring one. After all, that could get quite monotonous for fifty titles. However, this book is not just a list of games. Oh no. It's much more than that.

After a touching dedication on the first page, we start with a 36-page potted history of the Atari ST, from its creation and initial success, to the faltering of the early 1990's and its final removal from the market. There is also a lovely list of the 26(!) models that were announced, some of which that made it to the market, and some that rightly (or wrongly) didn't. You'll find a deeper history in volume 2 of "We Love Atari" but, from 50ST's perspective, this section gives the reader everything they need to know about the ST. Having said that, you really should buy that twin volume set as and when you can.

Next up is the introduction to the games, and the author uses this section to talk about the very earliest titles released for the system as well as how he played each title before including it within this tome. Following on from the earliest titles, the rest of the selection is grouped by genre: arcade conversions, strategy, adventure, unique games, shoot 'em ups, simulations and sports. As you can see from the pictures below, each entry is divided into sections. First up, we have the game's title, developer, publisher and the year of release. We get a half page of text describing the game and why the author has chosen it for the list. There is a review box, where the author has put a nice graphic in to state how long you'd need to play that game to get a good idea how the game plays, a graphic denoting the author's determination of the title's learning curve, and then a four column review score made up of graphics, sound, playability and an overall rating. A screenshot of the game framed in an Atari SC1435 monitor round off that page.

First page of a game's entry - apologies for the reflection.

The second page gives you a half page screen shot of the game's title/loading screen, a quarter page image of the box art, and finally an "Interesting Things" boxout with fun facts and tidbits about that game. A nice touch here is that the second page is framed in the style of the GEM desktop. 

Second page of a game's entry - less shiny.

Between the games, there are ad breaks - pages showing the advertising posters of some of the titles featured. We also get smaller sections on honourable mentions, recommendations, deeper delves in particular genres and a two page piece by Jeff Minter, which is a great little bonus. The final section of the book covers how to emulate the ST on modern day systems, as well as a reprint of an article the author published on his own website about the ST's sound chip, the Yamaha YM-2149, and some great promotional pictures of the various computers Atari launched during the ST's reign.

As you can probably tell from the above, this is quite a densely packed book and in truth, it does take a bit of reading if you indulge in the time to savour the contents. The relaxed style of writing suits the topic brilliantly and the presentation is clear and easy to follow. The author's passion for the ST and the games he has highlighted is clear to see, and the quality of 50ST matches that of his earlier books.

As for the games chosen, well, that's his personal choice but I will say that it's a varied selection and, having played quite a few of them back in my Amiga days, I'd agree with a lot of his choices. Of the ones I have not played, it has awakened an interest in giving them a go. Certainly, memories were brought back  by the screenshots and descriptions. One of the joys of this book is that most of these games also had Amiga versions (some also had Archimedes conversions too). Even if you weren't an ST owner back in the day, you'll still find plenty of interest here from the heyday of 16/32-bit home computers. 

I also enjoyed the section on emulation, as this is pretty much the quickest, cheapest and easiest way you can experience the joys of the ST today, much as it is with the Amiga. Unlike the ST sadly, legal Amiga emulation is quite simple and easy. Same with RISC OS, where the OS is now open-source and just a free download away. 

There is only one (very slight) criticism of note - there is an apology stuck to the inside back cover of the book about typo's and yes, I did note a couple that the author had not commented upon within his apology. However, these in no way spoil the book and I am sure that future print runs will correct those in due course. I don't wish to be seen throwing stones as regular readers of this blog will have noticed the odd boo-boo and I quite like this glass house as it is... :-)

50ST is another great release from Zafinn Books and the author is to be congratulated on an entertaining combination of games and accompanying articles. Not only a great standalone volume for ST fans and fans of that era of home computing, this is a fantastic companion piece to the "We Love Atari' duo. Highly recommended.

You can purchase this fine book here.