I.C.U.P.S. (1986)

I.C.U.P.S. (International Commission for Universal Problem Solving) was released in 1986 for the ZX Spectrum. Published by Thor Computer Software, the game was created by programmers Steve Parry and Tommy Lannigan, with in-game graphics by Stuart James Fotheringham and music by Keith Tinman.

This single-player arcade shoot-em-up features multi-genre gameplay elements. Players can control the action using cursor keys, Kempston joysticks, or the Interface 2 controller.

The game retailed at £8.95 on cassette. In addition to the ZX Spectrum 48K/128K version, it was also made available for the Commodore 64.

The title holds an average magazine score of 64.67%. It received a 74% rating from Crash, a 3 out of 5 score from Sinclair User, and a 6 out of 10 from Your Sinclair. It was also awarded the ZX Computing Glob Minor in October 1986.

The game did not gain significant popularity in Russia, but it was distributed through several TR-DOS versions released by groups such as Exciter Soft, Power of Sound, AmoNik, and Sliders. A cracked cassette version by Bill Gilbert also circulated at the time.