Achieved at : 2026-01-02
Rank : 1
(world record)
Lups : t.b.d.
Approved :
No
Vote progress : 40%
| General Rules: |
Play with default settings unless otherwise specified. No use of trainers, cheats, saved game files, auto-fire (when not default present in-game), emulator save states, or other emulator advantages. No use of code modifications that give the player an advantage over other players. 1 player only. No continues. It is discouraged and may lead to voters not accepting your score to - excessively point farm - use glitches or other game exploits |
| Specific Rules: | Play the game in 1 player mode, selecting Slow from the main menu. |
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TGP
Planes is a fixed vertical shooter arcade game for the BBC Micro. It was released by A & F Software in 1982, making it a very early game for the system. It was written by Brian and Marian Clark, who had been authors on the BBC Micro's predecessor, the Acorn Atom. Planes itself was later released for the Acorn Electron under the name Kamakazi. Pharoah's Tomb for the BBC is an adventure also written by the Clark's that was one of A&F Software's most well-known titles. As well as commercial releases, their programs also appeared as listings in several of the magazines of the time. Their listing Death Watch appeared in the very first issue of BBC Micro User in March 1983, for example.
Planes is a take on the Galaxians genre. A fleet of craft appear above you, with one or two members diving down at a time. Instead of aliens, your enemy this time is a selection of aircraft. Every so often you get a 'Bonus' round, where you have twenty shots to destroy a fleet of helicopters. Once your twenty shots are fired, that level ends.
The game was a very early BBC one and resembles games for the earlier Acorn Atom as a result. It's colourful and quick, but movement is not as smooth as it could be. Such refinements were to come later as programmers learnt more about the Beeb, and Planes has a fair amount of BASIC in its code. There is plenty of sound though and the game is not that easy. There are two speeds of play - Slow and Fast - but even Slow will keep you on your toes as the enemies and their fire can be very fast.
Considering it being such an early release, this game was perfectly acceptable for the time. In a few years though, the quality bar would have been raised significantly, but this was true of all platforms - a lot of early ZX Spectrum releases being a good example. It took time for the tricks and tips of the hardware to be understood. Planes will still give you a challenge today, if you can forgive the lack of smoothness.
This run was made on the 2nd January 2026. The emulator is Pantheon, running on PC. Slow was selected as the skill level and the final score was 10,725 points.
Time stamps:
00:30 Title screen, controls and speed selection screen.
00:37 Slow game selected, game starts.
00:56 First bonus level. Shoot as many of the helicopters as you can with 20 shots.
01:25 First life lost.
01:34 Extra life awarded for passing 5,000 points.
01:55 Second life lost.
03:13 Third life lost.
03:43 Fourth life lost. Game Over! Final score 10,725 points.
04:00 Initials entry and High Score table.
Planes is a take on the Galaxians genre. A fleet of craft appear above you, with one or two members diving down at a time. Instead of aliens, your enemy this time is a selection of aircraft. Every so often you get a 'Bonus' round, where you have twenty shots to destroy a fleet of helicopters. Once your twenty shots are fired, that level ends.
The game was a very early BBC one and resembles games for the earlier Acorn Atom as a result. It's colourful and quick, but movement is not as smooth as it could be. Such refinements were to come later as programmers learnt more about the Beeb, and Planes has a fair amount of BASIC in its code. There is plenty of sound though and the game is not that easy. There are two speeds of play - Slow and Fast - but even Slow will keep you on your toes as the enemies and their fire can be very fast.
Considering it being such an early release, this game was perfectly acceptable for the time. In a few years though, the quality bar would have been raised significantly, but this was true of all platforms - a lot of early ZX Spectrum releases being a good example. It took time for the tricks and tips of the hardware to be understood. Planes will still give you a challenge today, if you can forgive the lack of smoothness.
This run was made on the 2nd January 2026. The emulator is Pantheon, running on PC. Slow was selected as the skill level and the final score was 10,725 points.
Time stamps:
00:30 Title screen, controls and speed selection screen.
00:37 Slow game selected, game starts.
00:56 First bonus level. Shoot as many of the helicopters as you can with 20 shots.
01:25 First life lost.
01:34 Extra life awarded for passing 5,000 points.
01:55 Second life lost.
03:13 Third life lost.
03:43 Fourth life lost. Game Over! Final score 10,725 points.
04:00 Initials entry and High Score table.