Bi-Fi Roll - Snack Zone (DOS)

Bi-Fi Roll - Snack Zone

Platform: DOS Year: 1993 Developer: The Art Department Online: Download

Bi-Fi Roll - Snack Zone is an arcade adventure. Freeware from the beginning, it was commissioned by a food manufacturer, produced by phenomedia (then named The Art Department), and designed by Oliver Stiller.

The production secret of Bi-Fi Roll has gone missing, and "Lukas, our hero" is tasked with retrieving it. Using the cursor keys, you search the city, avoid vehicles, offer help to passers-by, and play four different arcade sequences.

Lukas would take a student job in a much more popular point-and-click adventure, Bi-Fi Roll - Action in Hollywood (DOS).

Screenshots

The intro takes 30 seconds. Silent street. Stocking snacks... Out of energy. The background is blinking...! They call it Sokoban.

Music

All compositions match the slightly earlier Amiga version right down to the channel numbers, implying that the notes were converted automatically. Certainly, Rudolf Stember had to redo all the instruments, though there was apparently no attempt to emulate the other platform's instruments, resulting in a very different sound. For technical reasons, the music is also 9% faster and a tritone lower or higher. The sound effects, especially in the power sequence, became robotic and got a channel all for themselves.

The use of Stember's work is very different, too. The scrolling levels are completely silent. If music played, the smooth VGA scrolling would slow it down. Creatively, the arcade sequences use additional songs for help and progress and even pauses for effect on get-ready and game-over.

Aktueller Software Markt rated sound 9 out of 12 and wrote that it "turned out astonishingly well for a free game."

Recording

All songs were recorded from the game on a real Pentium 60 MHz with a Sound Blaster 16 CT1740. Each song was played twice plus 10 seconds for fade-out. Track 7 was played by modifying the game.

The titles are unofficial and based on the respective song's earliest appearance's file name.

#	Title	Composer	Arranger	Length	Listen	Download
01	Intro	Rudolf Stember	Rudolf Stember	1:08		Download
02	Theater	Beagle Music Ltd.	Rudolf Stember	0:49		Download
03	Pub	Rudolf Stember	Rudolf Stember	1:56		Download
04	Lost	Rudolf Stember	Rudolf Stember	0:20		Download
05	Paint	Rudolf Stember	Rudolf Stember	1:22		Download
06	Sokoban	Rudolf Stember	Rudolf Stember	2:20		Download
07	Unused	Rudolf Stember	Rudolf Stember	1:59		Download

Credits

• Ripper: Professor Chaos
• Recorder: Professor Chaos
• Game Credits:
  • Music: Rudolf Stember credited as Rudi Stember
  • Not Credited Composer: Beagle Music Ltd.
  • Not Credited Foley Artist: Rudolf Stember
  • Not Credited Programmer: Peter Thierolf

(Source for Stember: closing. Source for Thierolf: Super Gem'Z (DOS).)

Game Rip

Format	Download
	Download (Info)

The driver is linked into SNACK.EXE.

Audio Devices

Music
Sound

The driver assumes an OPL2 chip at 388_hex and includes unused Sound Blaster code. The installer starts with an audio setup, but it makes no difference.

Releases

Germany Title: Bi-Fi Roll - Snack Zone Platform: DOS Released: 1993-0?-?? Publisher: The Art Department     Germany Title: Bi-Fi-Trilogie (Bi-Fi trilogy) Platform: DOS Released: 1995-??-?? Publisher: Effective Media GmbH     Germany Title: PC Power Nummer 6 • Juni 1997 (PC Power Number 6 • June 1997) Platform: PC Released: 1997-05-09 Publisher: Alchemy Publishing Ltd     Switzerland Title: PC Power Nummer 6 • Juni 1997 (PC Power Number 6 • June 1997) Platform: PC Released: 1997-05-09 Publisher: Alchemy Publishing Ltd     Austria Title: PC Power Nummer 6 • Juni 1997 (PC Power Number 6 • June 1997) Platform: PC Released: 1997-05-09 Publisher: Alchemy Publishing Ltd

Links

• mobygames.com/game/81791/bi-fi-roll-snack-zone/ - MobyGames.
• mobygames.com/game/98973/bi-fi-trilogie/ - MobyGames on DOS compilation.
• gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/214974-bi-fi-roll-snack-zone - GameFAQs.
• gamefaqs.gamespot.com/pc/361840-bi-fi-trilogie - GameFAQs on DOS compilation.

View BiFi
Bi-Fi Roll - Snack Zone	•
Bi-Fi Roll - Action in Hollywood	•
2 Fast 4 You
Notable Personnel	Rudolf Stember • Jochen Heß
Notable Companies	phenomedia • Freelance Development