Jamie Woodhouse (author of the rather spiffing ST game Nitro and Amiga’s Qwak) has made available his playable prototype of Sideways, a sidescrolling (figures) shoot ‘em up that features more than the odd nod towards classic shooters Uridium, Goldrunner and Xenon.

Though only a prototype, the code is very playable and is a tantalising glimpse at what could have been with the odd tweak and pixel-push (to paraphrase Jamie’s comments). The game updates at one VBL (thats 50 frames per second to you and me) meaning that everything is very smooth and fast. Action isn’t compromised to achieve this, though: you can speed along at break-neck speed (as long as you have the reactions of a jedi) as you fly backwards and forwards in an attempt to destroy enemies, dodge bullets, and land to collect precious energy crystals. Inbetween each stage you are presented with a number of upgrades you can purchase to increase your chance of success on the next.

Once again those D-Bug boys are in the thick of it, and their ULS code enables you to store this baby on your hard disk. Click here to visit them and download it (don’t forget to say thanks in their forums!), and have a look at Jamie’s blog for more info and something else to look forward to!

Gameplay video