YEAR 2007

December 31st, 2007
This was a very rich year for handhelds simulation, and this is gonna be the last post for 2007! And I wish this news make someone happy, since there's a brand new simulator plus four updates for previously released simulators. The new game comes from the extremely rare and sought after "VTech, Tooth-Sporty Time & Fun" series, and the other games all feature bug-fixes to the "hiscore save", which failed to store data correctly into the Windows Registry. One of the games even has better graphics, making the LCD screen look much more realistic!
This is the list of news:

- Tennis Menace (VTech, Tooth-Sporty Time & Fun) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)
- Parachute (Nintendo, Wide Screen) S4/1.02 (Standard 4, graphics improvement + hiscore save fix)
- Roller Coaster (VTech, Explorer Time & Fun) S4/1.01 (Standard 4, hiscore save fix)
- Pancake (VTech, Explorer Time & Fun) S4/1.01 (Standard 4, hiscore save fix)
- Condor (VTech, Explorer Time & Fun) S4/1.01 (Standard 4, hiscore save fix)

Please jump to the downloads page to get all games, their source codes, and the latest "MADrigal CD Collection 46". I wish you a shappy new year's day and hey stay tuned here, because I'm gonna release more games next week!

December 24th, 2007
Here's my small Christmas gift for you all: a brand new simulator for a VTech "Explorer Time & Fun" handheld:

- Defendo (VTech, Explorer Time & Fun) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)

I wish you a really happy Christmas and invite you to enter the downloads area to get the game archive, source code and the latest "MADrigal CD Collection 45"!

December 17th, 2007
New release today: my 44th handheld simulator is a "clone" to the previous one, but having different graphics and being quite popular back in the old days:

- Monkey (VTech, Time & Fun) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)

Game archive, source code and the "MADrigal CD Collection #44" await you on the usual downloads area. Stay tuned and get ready for the "Christmas release": "Defendo (VTech, Explorer Time & Fun)".

December 10th, 2007
As I promised last week, here's finally the simulator for a quite nice game (my 43th release):

- Pirate (VTech, Time & Fun) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)

Gameplay is quite simple and becomes soon fast, hypnotic and addictive!

You can grab game, source code and the new "MADrigal CD Collection" (now including 43 games) from the usual downloads page. Keep on visiting this website, and get ready for another game next week: "Monkey (VTech, Time & Fun)".

December 3rd, 2007
I'm finally releasing the last VTech game matching Nintendo's Fire gameplay, also coming from the Pancake (VTech) source code:

- Condor (VTech, Time & Fun) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)

Again there are just changes to graphics and sprites layout.

Get the simulator, the source code and the latest "MADrigal CD Collection #42" from the downloads area. Stay tuned because I'm about to release a new simulator: "Pirate (VTech, Time & Fun)" - almost done!

November 26th, 2007
Here's a new simulator, coming from the Roller Coaster (VTech) Simulator source code itself (actually Roller Coaster is a clone of this game):

- Pancake (VTech, Time & Fun) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)

The game matches almost completely the other, except different graphics and number of sprites on LCD Screen - but sharing the same gameplay with Roller Coaster! Re-using the same CPU's in different casings/graphics was not uncommon in the 80's: it was just a way to save money and time, and making more games to satisfy various kind of buyers (kids, girls, boyscouts, etc.)

You can grab the game, source code and the new "MADrigal CD Collection" from the popular downloads page. Stay tuned on this site because I'll soon release the simulator for the last game sharing this same gameplay: "Condor (VTech, Time & Fun)".

Have fun!

November 19th, 2007
Here's a cool way to celebrate 8 years of LCD simulations: a brand new simulator, making up a total of 40 games!
The game I chose is very sought-after by collectors. It's a VTech game from the obscure "Explorer Time & Fun" series with LCD game, compass and tiny torchlight (that's also simulated!), making the perfect game for boyscouts! Gameplay reminds much of Nintendo's "Fire" game though having items bouncing right to left. Here's the infos:

- Roller Coaster (VTech, Explorer Time & Fun) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)

You can grab the game archive, the source code and the new MADrigal CD Collection #40 from the usual downloads area.

Keep in touch and get ready for the forthcoming simulator of another popular VTech game (scheduled for next monday)!

November 12th, 2007
Here we are with my newest simulator, this time it's a very nice handheld from VTech's Time & Fun series. It's my 39th release:

- Sleep Walker (VTech, Time & Fun) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)

There are more news for you: three games has just been updated, two of which are a sort of "final revision" to my latest Standard 4. They newly included features make them fully compatible with MAME-based arcade cabinets with graphics interface (Maximus Arcade and GameEx, for example); the third game is an important update: it now includes the long-awaited instructions manual browser - thanks to mr. Akio Osakada for providing the great scans from the actual paper manual!

- Parachute (Nintendo, Wide Screen) S4/1.01 (Standard 4, MAME cabinets compatible)
- Mickey Mouse (Nintendo, Panorama Screen) S4/1.01 (Standard 4, MAME cabinets compatible)
- Caccia al Ladro/Heathcliff (VTech/Polistil, Mini Time & Fun) S3/1.02 (Standard 3, manual added)

All files can be grabbed from the usual downloads page!

October 15th, 2007
As I previously announced, a few days ago, I'm releasing my 38th handheld simulator, and I'm also releasing the source code (for Delphi 6), for the first time in my life:

- Parachute (Nintendo, Wide Screen) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final) + source code

You can grab both files from the downloads page.

October 1st, 2007
The last time I started programming a simulator, it was January 2003, and it took me long time to decide it's time to go back into my favourite hobby at "full time" (well I also have to work hard for a living...).
The first simulator in this "rebirth" was a quite easy job for me, since it's nothing but an already programmed game, with just different graphics and a few more optimizations: Mickey Mouse (Nintendo, Panorama Screen) comes from the source code of the old Donkey Kong Circus simulator.
What really changes this time is the "standard" (which I call "standard 4") that is: very realistic 8-bit colour sprites for the LCD screen; clean graphics and animated buttons for the actual handheld; manual embedded in the main executable; compiled with Delphi 6; more optimizations to all game routines. The resulting application requires some more RAM than previous games, but quality is much better, believe me! So, here's my release #37:

- Mickey Mouse (Nintendo, Panorama Screen) S4/1.00 (Standard 4, final)

You can grab both game and the new MADrigal CD Collection #37 S4/1.00 archive (featuring all released games with a simple graphics interface) from the downloads page. I'm now about to complete another simulator for a much-wanted game: Parachute (Nintendo, Wide Screen), so keep in touch!

PS: don't forget to visit my other site, CreatiVEmu to read all infos regarding my latest product, the creatiVision Multicart in limited collectors edition!

September 17th, 2007
Quick updates to two simulators, slowly coming to completion. This time I'm releasing Donkey Angler, now featuring a full English manual browser (thanks to kindest Simon Herman for providing scans from the original paper manual), and Hippo Teeth, now featuring a picture of the real handheld box in the splash-screen (and of course the usual updates to audio drivers, graphics, etc.):
- Donkey Angler (Gakken, LCD Card Game) S3/1.04 (Standard 3, manual added)
- Hippo Teeth (VTech, Tooth-Sporty Time & Fun) S3/1.01 (Standard 3, minor graphics additions)

Grab both games from the download page.

Next date scheduled for October 1st. I'm about to complete a simulator for one of the rarest Game & Watch: Mickey Mouse (Nintendo, Panorama Screen)!

September 3rd, 2007
It took me over 4 years and a half to decide it was time to release a complete version of the much requested Galaxy II (Epoch)/Astro Wars (Grandstand) Simulator, which I released as a "public uncomplete beta" last year. The missing routines (game was fully playable up to Phase 3 only, though lacking Phase 4 and reprise to Phase 1) weren't very easy to add, and required major efforts in order to adapt the previous source code...
Well it's here now, and it's dedicated to Shawn Muller (who donated me the original tabletop game, back in 2002) and to all the "fans" who sent me loads of emails asking me to complete the simulator (Simon from Handheld Remakes is top on this list!). So here it is:
- Galaxy II (Epoch)/Astro Wars (Grandstand) S3/1.00 (Standard 3, final)

Get it from the usual downloads page and... have fun!

August 27th, 2007
After 6 years spent hunting for them, I finally got scans for the instructions manual for Tom & Jerry Popper (Gakken, LCD Card Game) - thanks to my friend Rik Morgan of Handheld Museum! While reading the original manual, I discovered a few unaccuracies in both the T&J Popper and Donkey Angler (Gakken, LCD card game) too, which uses the same CPU as the Popper game. So I decided to fix unaccuracies and release updates for both games.
Also updated Grab Man, now featuring a picture of the original game box in the splash-screen. Here's the full release list:
- Donkey Angler (Gakken, LCD Card Game) S3/1.03 (Standard 3, minor fixes)
- Tom & Jerry Popper (Gakken, LCD Card Game) S3/1.03 (Standard 3, manual added, minor fixes)
- Grab Man (Texet) S3/2.03 (Standard 3, minor graphics addition)

You can get all games from the downloads page.

August 6th, 2007
I finally decided to update two simulators of mine, by adding a long-time missing feature: the "engine" sound effects and all routines to manage them. Games are Tron by Tomy and Motor Cross by an unknown manufacturer. Actually in earlier versions of those simulators, I used the PC speaker to simulate Tron's lightcycle and Motor Cross' bike, but I had to then remove it because it was uncompatible with Windows 2000 sound system.
So I finally made a few heavy additions to sources, in order to have all sound effects managed through standard WAV samples.
I also updated two VTech games simulators, by adding pictures of the original boxes to "splash-screens". Here's what's new today:
- "Tron (Tomy, tabletop)" S3/1.02 (Standard 3, XP-compatible sound update)
- "Motor Cross (unknown manufacturer)" S3/2.04 (Standard 3, XP-compatible sound update)
- "Monkey Jump (VTech, Arcade Time & Fun series)" S3/1.02 (Standard 3, minor graphics update)
- "Caccia al Ladro - Heathcliff & Sonja (VTech / Polistil)" S3/1.01 (Standard 3, minor graphics update)

I'm also updating the MADrigal Simulators CD Collection (the single archive including all of my 36 simulators with user interface), now including all the recently-updated simulators.

Get all files from the download page.

July 19th, 2007
I've been notified of a peculiar bug in my Mario's Bombs Away (Nintendo, Panorama screen) Simulator by mr. Jori Piippola of Finland. 2-bit transparent BMP images - which I often use in my simulators - aren't correctly rendered in certain recent video cards. In a result, a few images aren't rendered at all (invisible). I checked other simulators and fixed such problem in other games too, so here are quick fixes to:
- "Donkey Kong Circus (Nintendo, Panorama screen)" S3/1.05 (Standard 3, minor graphics fixes)
- "Mario's Bombs Away (Nintendo, Panorama screen)" S3/1.03 (Standard 3, minor graphics fixes)
- "Snoopy (Nintendo, Panorama screen)" S3/1.02 (Standard 3, minor graphics fixes)
- "Snoopy (Nintendo, Tabletop)" S3/1.02 (Standard 3, minor graphics fixes)

Get them from the download page.

January 12th, 2007
After over 7 years of hosting by Retrogames, I finally registered my own web domain: madrigaldesign.it and moved all of my sites there.
Many updates were needed on this site, so I updated all pages, links, references, etc. Hope you like the new features.

I also decided to update the MADrigal Simulators CD Collection, which I previously released back in 2004. It's a single archive featuring all of my 36 simulators, including a very user-friendly interface. The lot is "ready-for-your-use", and it can also be burnt onto CD (I also included a JPG image to print as a CD cover).
Grab the file from the downloads page!