Caltron

Infobox VG
title = Caltron 6-in-1


caption= "Caltron 6-in-1" box art
developer = Caltron
publisher = Caltron
licensed = Unlicensed
designer =
engine =
released = vgy|1992
genre =
modes = Single-player
ratings =
platforms = Nintendo Entertainment System
media =
requirements =
input = Gamepad

Caltron was a Taiwan-based video game company whose only video game they developed and published was an unlicensed compilation titled "Caltron 6–in–1". It was a multicart published in vgy|1992 for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America by Caltron and in Australia by Home Entertainment Suppliers.cite web|title="6–in–1" Release Information for the NES |publisher=GameFAQs |accessdate=2008-09-10|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/data/925346.html] It is the only game known to be released by Caltron.cite web|last=de Gruyl |first=Devin |title=Retro-Active: "Caltron 6-in-1" |publisher=wayofthegeek.com |date=2008-03-09 |accessdate=2008-09-10 |url=http://wayofthegeek.org/2008/03/its-not-spideys-sinister-six-but-its-close/]

"6–in–1" consisted of six different games of various genres. The games included are "Cosmos Cop", "Magic Carpet 1001", "Balloon Monster", "Porter", and "Bookyman".

The compilation has received poor reviews, with one reviewer claiming that all six games on the multicart are "uniformly awful," even though they are more playable and are of higher quality than other video game compilations such as Active Enterprises' "Action 52".

Games

The six games on "Caltron 6–in–1" are:
* "Cosmos Cop" is a pseudo-3D into-the-screen shoot 'em up that is similar to Sega's "Space Harrier". However, the game experiences a lot of image–breakup on the screen due to the NES's limited capability of handling first–person scaling.
* "Magic Carpet 1001" is a horizontal scrolling shooter that was later released on pirate cartridges as "Aladdin III" and with some graphical and sound modifications as "Super Harry Potter". The game has been criticized for its steep difficulty curve.
* "Balloon Monster" is a clone of Mitchell's "Pang" and the North American equivalent "Buster Bros".
* "Adam and Eve" is a single-screen platform game similar to Nintendo's "Balloon Fight" in which the player has to kill snakes by bursting the balloons attached to their heads. This game also received criticism in that the game — despite the name of the title — had very little relevance to the biblical story of Adam and Eve.
* "Porter" is a puzzle game similar to Thinking Rabbit's "Sokoban" and "Boxxle" where the player has to move boxes into specifically–marked places. This game is criticized in that the game if the wrong button is accidentally pressed, then the level automatically restarts without any warning to the player.
* "Bookyman" is a direct clone of Williams Electronics' "Make Trax" and Kural's arcade game "Crush Roller". This game has been considered an inferior clone of their arcade counterparts.

References