QUEST FOR NOT FAT RASCALS by R-Tape

 

QUEST FOR NOT FAT RASCALS by R-Tape for ZX Spectrum 48K

   My capacity for amazement is about to overflow as I contemplate the variety and imagination that the programmers have brought to this magnificent competition. This time, we have a game based on the age-old battle between 'Trademark' and 'Tradition'. After consulting with our legal department, we believe that we understand the following:

   There is a tearoom in Harrogate, Bettys Tearooms, known for its famous “Fat Rascal” scones. It holds a trademark on the name. Other small cafés were selling similar scones under the same name, claiming the recipe dates back to 1855 and is part of Whitby’s heritage.

   Lawyers asked the cafés to stop using the name, citing trademark rights. They expressed disappointment, arguing that the name and recipe have historical roots in Whitby.

   The sones were renamed, keeping the recipe and appearance unchanged.

   And this dispute brings us to the introduction of this participation in the CGC 2025:

   The fact that this matter has inspired a game and that the legal threat has turned into a random POKE can only make me smile broadly.

   But before I start playing, I have to pause to admire the magnificent loading screen created by R-Tape. The scones are exactly the same as the originals (I dare not say whose originals), the scene is fun, it captures the action, and the use of colour is superb.

   More smiles !!!

      There is still more to do before we can start using the programme. First, we need to choose a background colour for the introduction we saw in INK 1 above.

   This is a luxury feature only available on microcomputers with colour displays. R-Tape allows us to choose from the best palette of the time and automatically matches the background to the font colour, ensuring it is always legible. As I said, a luxury.

   

   Another clever detail is hidden within these different screens. If you look closely, you will see that the name of the scones to eat is different and hilarious in each game. They always avoid the one that led to the legal dispute. 

   Our next option is to choose a number from the range 0 to 65535 that... will determine our fate. Well, it sounds very dramatic, but it will, let's say, tangentially.

   In the author's own words: "The value you input for 'fate', decides the RND sequence that POKEs the memory"

   We are venturing into profound territory: the relationship between selecting a 16-bit number and either condemning or saving ourselves. Believe it or not, CGC does not have a geoanthropology department, so we have asked the Ulaanbaatar Institute of Cultural Studies for a favour. It has taken them over a month of research, both in their archives and in the field. And this is the result, which is quite expected, by the way:

   "In the ancient society of ULA (Universal Leapfrog Alignment), every individual’s destiny was woven into the fabric of a sacred ritual. During the Ceremonial Grand Convergence (CGC), each person would select a number between 0 and 65,535, a choice made with solemn reverence and guided by ancestral spirits. As the high priestess chanted in the old tongue, the chosen number was inscribed onto a luminous scroll (?), believed to channel the cosmic energies that shaped one’s future. This act of selecting a number was not mere superstition but a profound declaration of one’s will, forging a unique path predetermined by the divine harmony between choice and fate."

   Now that we know this, we can relax and play.

   Our brave, hungry and certainly stiff protagonist sets out determined to collect the scones scattered around the environment. A few seconds later, the curse in the form of a fateful POKE catches up with us:

   Let's press RUN and play again. Well, no, a crash is a crash. Load the game and start. That's it. We rush around like mad trying to collect all those tasty treats before the POKE of death ends our game abruptly, or amusingly if it gradually corrupts the screen.

   With all the scones in a basket: Here we have the essence of the contest, a crazy game based on something crazy, with crazy behaviour, all topped off with a dash of craziness. It makes you smile from beginning to end, which can be immediate or come just when you think you're finally going to get it. In any case, it is impossible to play only once.

Scrambled Smile: 8/10

Broccoli and Squid Yoghourt: 7/10

Deep Fried Ice Cream: 5/10

Strawberry Monosodium Glutamate: 8/10

Affable Hot Chocolate Sauce: 7/10