Achieved at : 2026-03-29
Rank : 2
(14% worse)
Lups : t.b.d.
Approved :
No
Vote progress : 40%
| General Rules: |
Note: If you notice there is a difference in MO/TO game, please request a separate variation for this game. 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 with difficulty set to the penultimate difficulty to the right. (the last one starts training). The game bug a little bit when trying to reach more difficult levels, sometimes starting a game without pressing "1". Just lose on purpose and retry (the game saves the last difficulty played) |
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TGP
Pulsar II is a Scramble-clone for the Thomson TO and MO series of computers. It was released by Loriciels in 1984. The author is Pascal Pellier.
This is a reasonable version of Konami's Scramble for the Thomson. The game features nine levels to battle your way through, an increase on Scramble's six. The first few are loosely similar to the arcade original. First, you fly over a landscape littered with air defence missiles, radar stations, fuel pumps and fuel storage. The next stage is the cavern where your space is limited by the rock ceiling - the only difference from the arcade game is that there are no flying UFO's here. The third stage is a series of narrow tunnels, with a number of silos housing missiles. Space can be very tight for manoeuvring here. Level 4 is like the arcade games level 2. The cavern opens up giving you more room, but there are bouncing creatures in the air that you need to destroy or else they will block your path. The missiles are also firing here as well. Level five initially features narrow caverns and missile silos but then opens up into a larger area with indestructible mines placed in your path. This is similar to the fireball level of the original game. At the end of this level is a narrow slot where you need to shoot the reactor. If you don't you will crash into the wall. The remaining four levels seem to be the reverse of the rest of your game, as your ship makes its escape. I've only seen a few levels after the reactor destruction, so I don't know what levels 8 and 9 are like.
When it comes to gameplay, Pulsar II is exactly what you would expect from a Scramble-clone. Your ship actually handles quite well. When it comes to the narrow sections where you need to go up or down, it feels quite fair. This is a key test of Scramble games as this can be quite a difficult manoeuvre on some versions, which leads to frustration and a reduction in the quality of the experience. Pulsar II passes this test. On the other hand, firing is a bit slow and not always as responsive as it should be. There are adjustable levels of difficulty so you can tailor the game to your needs.
Graphically, the individual characters are quite nicely done. Most of them have two frames of animation, so the radars appear to rotate, the oil pumps......pump, and so on. The scrolling and movement though is very jerky, it's just not smooth at all. The effect is similar to scrolling on the first MSX machines. Overall, the graphical style reminded me of Penetrator by Melbourne House on the ZX Spectrum, but Penetrator is a much better game by far. Penetrator has nicer graphics, smooth scrolling and excellent animations. Sound in Pulsar II is sparse, though there is a little tune when you start and end a game. Other than that, it isn't remarkable, it just does a job.
This was the first Scramble type game I've played on the Thomson. It may not be considered a great game today, but it is of a reasonable quality for its time. I can see this would have been a popular game for the Thomson in 1984, even if playing it today might make you wonder why. Lone Raider for the Oric, another Scramble inspired game, fits into a similar category and timeframe. Popular once, but not a game that has aged well.
This run was made on the 29th March 2026. The game was played on a Thomson TO7, using the DCMOTO emulator. The skill level selected was Difficult (Difficile) and the final score was 798 points.
Time Stamps:
00:30 Title screen. Skill slider (Niveau), set to Difficile (Difficult).
00:41 Game start.
01:30 Stage 2 reached.
02:09 First life lost.
02:15 Second life lost.
02:23 Third life lost.
03:14 Fourth life lost.
04:18 Stage 3 reached.
04:28 Fifth life lost. Game Over! Final score 798 points.
This is a reasonable version of Konami's Scramble for the Thomson. The game features nine levels to battle your way through, an increase on Scramble's six. The first few are loosely similar to the arcade original. First, you fly over a landscape littered with air defence missiles, radar stations, fuel pumps and fuel storage. The next stage is the cavern where your space is limited by the rock ceiling - the only difference from the arcade game is that there are no flying UFO's here. The third stage is a series of narrow tunnels, with a number of silos housing missiles. Space can be very tight for manoeuvring here. Level 4 is like the arcade games level 2. The cavern opens up giving you more room, but there are bouncing creatures in the air that you need to destroy or else they will block your path. The missiles are also firing here as well. Level five initially features narrow caverns and missile silos but then opens up into a larger area with indestructible mines placed in your path. This is similar to the fireball level of the original game. At the end of this level is a narrow slot where you need to shoot the reactor. If you don't you will crash into the wall. The remaining four levels seem to be the reverse of the rest of your game, as your ship makes its escape. I've only seen a few levels after the reactor destruction, so I don't know what levels 8 and 9 are like.
When it comes to gameplay, Pulsar II is exactly what you would expect from a Scramble-clone. Your ship actually handles quite well. When it comes to the narrow sections where you need to go up or down, it feels quite fair. This is a key test of Scramble games as this can be quite a difficult manoeuvre on some versions, which leads to frustration and a reduction in the quality of the experience. Pulsar II passes this test. On the other hand, firing is a bit slow and not always as responsive as it should be. There are adjustable levels of difficulty so you can tailor the game to your needs.
Graphically, the individual characters are quite nicely done. Most of them have two frames of animation, so the radars appear to rotate, the oil pumps......pump, and so on. The scrolling and movement though is very jerky, it's just not smooth at all. The effect is similar to scrolling on the first MSX machines. Overall, the graphical style reminded me of Penetrator by Melbourne House on the ZX Spectrum, but Penetrator is a much better game by far. Penetrator has nicer graphics, smooth scrolling and excellent animations. Sound in Pulsar II is sparse, though there is a little tune when you start and end a game. Other than that, it isn't remarkable, it just does a job.
This was the first Scramble type game I've played on the Thomson. It may not be considered a great game today, but it is of a reasonable quality for its time. I can see this would have been a popular game for the Thomson in 1984, even if playing it today might make you wonder why. Lone Raider for the Oric, another Scramble inspired game, fits into a similar category and timeframe. Popular once, but not a game that has aged well.
This run was made on the 29th March 2026. The game was played on a Thomson TO7, using the DCMOTO emulator. The skill level selected was Difficult (Difficile) and the final score was 798 points.
Time Stamps:
00:30 Title screen. Skill slider (Niveau), set to Difficile (Difficult).
00:41 Game start.
01:30 Stage 2 reached.
02:09 First life lost.
02:15 Second life lost.
02:23 Third life lost.
03:14 Fourth life lost.
04:18 Stage 3 reached.
04:28 Fifth life lost. Game Over! Final score 798 points.