Hi guys,
Welcome to another “episode” of The Aminet Files. In this series I randomly pick software from Aminet to investigate. It does not matter what it is, when it was released, its quality, everything I end up with will get a mention here on this blog.
Advanced Lawnmower Simulator (game)
Download: http://aminet.net/game/misc/als.lha
This time I randomly selected a game from Aminet and ended up with something obscure called “Advanced Lawnmower Simulator“. It was developed by Phil Devaney in AMOS and released in 1997. According to the info on Aminet, it is the Amiga version of Spectrum game. The source-code for the Amiga version is included in the archive. According to Aminet, it has been downloaded over 2000 times.
Let’s have a look at how it installs and plays.
Installation was a breeze. You just unpack the .LHA archive anywhere on your HD and you are good to go. Double-click on the executable icon and the game will start automatically. Can’t be better than that!
As for the game itself, the menu is a bit strange. You have a list of 6 lawnmowers to choose from, for example The Campari Grassmaster, DAF Turfomatic or the ACME Mega Cut 3000. The problem is that none of them work, except for number 6, Patio Sprintette. Maybe one has to open them up somehow?
After selecting the lawnmower, the game starts. You both accelerate and decelerate with “M”. That is the controls. You are presented with a lawn that must be mowed. You press the “M”-key continously to cut the grass and after a short time, the level is complete. Now you can restart if you want to have another go. The level is exactly the same and so is the mower. There is no scoring system either. It’s just like real life. You mow the lawn and the grass grows back. You then have to mow again.
I must say that this was one of the stranger experiences I’ve had with games on the Amiga. There is not really much point to the game, but perhaps that is the point if you know what I mean? 😉
At least another obscure bit of Amiga history is now open for all to see here on Old School Game Blog.
The Aminet Files continues, but I have no clue what I’ll look at next. The files are out there!
Old School Game Blog 
I love some of the more obscure games. I used to play some weird things back in the days of the Speccy! It’s just nice to see people trying out wacky and eccentric ideas, the kind of things you don’t find at all in today’s mainstream. Seeing a lot more of that again with the PC indie scene, especially some of the free games you find on Game Jolt and itch.io.
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Agree with you there, although I played more regular games back in the day. What kind of weird games did you try on the Spectrum? Would love to hear about them. 🙂
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Hmm… well maybe not so weird or obscure back then but things like Deus Ex Machina, M.O.V.I.E, Disco Dan, Colony, Jeff Minter’s Lamasoft games. Can’t remember the names of lot’s of them, used have tonnes of 60 and 90 minute cassettes full of all sorts of bizarre and wonderful games.
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[…] from Aminet. I started out with a game called “Hamburger Heaven” and then went on to “Advanced Lawnmower Simulator”. This reminds me that I should do more of these reviews in the […]
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