Gyroscope (video game)
| Gyroscope | |
|---|---|
 Acorn Electron cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Catalyst Coders |
| Publisher(s) | Melbourne House |
| Designer(s) |
John Nixon & David Wainwright (Acorn) Dubree (C64) Steve Lamb, Tony Mack & Dave Dew (Spectrum) |
| Platform(s) | Acorn Electron, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum |
| Release date(s) | 1985 |
| Genre(s) | Arcade |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Gyroscope is an action video game published by Melbourne House in 1985 for a number of home computers. It is based on the Atari arcade game Marble Madness. In fact, Melbourne House would go on to publish the official Atari ports of Marble Madness (DeLuxe Edition) for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC but these were entirely new versions, unconnected to Gyroscope (being coded by John F. Cain rather than the Catalyst Coders).
Gameplay
The gameplay is very similar to Marble Madness except the player controls a spinning gyroscope rather than a marble. The game is presented in isometric 3D. The player must guide the gyroscope from the top of the course to the bottom within an allotted time limit. If the gyroscope topples off the edge, a life is lost. Hazards on the course include potholes, aliens and glass slopes which cause the gyroscope to spin in random directions. There are five courses comprising four screens each. The gyroscope had to land on a marked square to complete each level.
Critical reaction
Your Sinclair awarded the ZX Spectrum version of the game 9/10,[1] praising the 3D graphics. It was also placed at number 77 in the Your Sinclair official top 100.
Electron User awarded the Acorn Electron version of the game 6/10, again praising the graphics but complaining of a number of bugs spoiling "what could be a very good game".