Beverly Hills Cop

The MS-DOS version is the one this page covers: the information, review and main screenshots are from this platform.

Beverly Hills Cop for Atari ST presents Axel Foley beside the red car before sending him to the warehouse. The original screen shows the 1990 Paramount copyright. This copy keeps the messages in English and opens with an intro by the group Empire that was already included on the disk.

Getting past the intro and starting

Press Space to leave the Empire intro. Wait for the original image of Axel to appear, because reading the disk can keep the screen black for a moment. Press Space on that image to reach the difficulty selection. The program asks for a level from 1 to 3. Use 1 to start at the lowest difficulty.

The loading shows the title again and then Get Ready Axel appears. Wait until you see the detective inside the warehouse. At that point the bottom panel shows three hearts, the score and the Bonus counter. The stacked crates take up a good part of the scene and armed men come in from both sides.

Moving and arming Axel

The player sets up the usual Atari ST joystick through the keyboard. Left and Right move Axel through the warehouse and Down lets you crouch him. Right Ctrl fires. In the ClaBa Player controls, the arrow keys and the Fire button perform those same actions.

Make a short move to the right and come back to the left. The movement of the background lets you recognize the distance covered even if Axel stays near the center. Then try the crouching stance and the weapon. Check which way the character is aiming before you shoot. The nearest opponent may arrive from the opposite side to the one you were watching.

The hearts show the lives available and Bonus changes during the action. A fall can send Axel back to the start of the area. When the lives run out, the program asks Replay This Game (Y/N). Y lets you try again. If you need to stop to read the instructions, use the player's pause before letting the counter run.

The Atari ST copy and its images

The online game uses the collection's ST disk and the TOS supplied by the owner. Both files are checked by their fingerprint before starting. The disk keeps its original bytes, including the Empire intro that comes before the game. The gallery shows the cover, the difficulty selection, the warehouse and the actions performed with the on-screen controller.

This edition has pause, sound, full screen, screenshot and restart in ClaBa Player. Restart reloads the disk from its opening intro. The video in the Videos tab comes from the same Atari ST folder and shows a game on this platform. The download keeps the ZIP with its disk image.

To use that file on your computer you need an Atari ST emulator and your own TOS. The Hatari documentation explains joystick emulation with the arrow keys and Right Ctrl. The notes in this tab correspond to the controls that were checked on the Atari ST version.

Beverly Hills Cop for Amiga takes Axel Foley to a warehouse full of crates and armed men. Tynesoft published this conversion in 1990. The intro shows the detective beside the red car and keeps the Paramount copyright. The messages in this copy are in English.

Choosing the difficulty with the Amiga keyboard

Press Play now and wait for the intro or the table The Top Ten Supercops to appear. Click inside the screen to give it focus. X lets you continue to Enter Difficulty Level (1–3).

To enter the difficulty, press V and the Amiga's virtual keyboard will appear over the image. Move the selection with the arrow keys to the 1 key on that keyboard and press X to choose the lowest level. Press V again to hide it. The program loads the warehouse and shows Get Ready Axel before starting. Wait for Axel to appear in the play area.

The selected key darkens inside the Amiga keyboard. Check that you have marked 1 before confirming it with X. In this setup, the number keys on the physical keyboard do not make that selection.

Walking, crouching and shooting

Left and Right move Axel through the warehouse. The scenery scrolls while the detective stays near the center. Down crouches him and X uses the weapon.

Try a short move in each direction before advancing among the crates. Look where Axel is aiming and watch the opposite side as well. Enemies can approach while you are facing another area. Holding Down shows the character on his knees, weapon ready.

The bottom panel shows the lives as hearts and displays Score and Bonus. The game starts with three lives. The counter changes during the action and enemy attacks can cost you a life quickly. Use the pause in ClaBa Player if you are going to stop and read the guide.

The hard disk copy and the downloads

The online game boots a WHDLoad installation. Its ReadMe identifies the installer by Bored Seal and Slipstream for Tynesoft's two-disk edition. The browser package keeps the eight files of that installation and adds a launcher to boot it.

The WHDLoad download is for using the hard disk installation in a compatible Amiga environment. The download of the two floppy disks in IPF format is also kept. To play outside the site you need an Amiga emulator, your own Kickstart files and whatever support the chosen format calls for.

The gallery brings together screenshots of the intro, the difficulty selection and the actions in the warehouse. The video of this edition runs about 34 seconds. It shows the same scene, with the panel of lives, score and Bonus.

Beverly Hills Cop for Commodore 64 begins with Axel Foley at the wheel. The streets are seen in diagonal perspective and the car stays in the center while the city scrolls around it. The intro credits Ian Davison and Michael Hedley, and leads to a menu with five levels and the Play All option.

Getting past the loader and choosing a level

This copy includes a Lotus intro before the original title. The prompt Unlimited Lives (All Levels) appears set to NO. Keep that answer and press Space to continue. Let the disk finish reading until you see Axel beside the red car.

The intro shows the credits and the message Press Fire to Begin. Press X to open Options. Up and Down move through the list of levels. The highlighted option changes color. Select First and confirm with X to start the first stage. Play All lets you select the game that runs through the levels in order.

Loading a level can leave the screen black and show light lines at the border. Wait for the street and the car's panel to appear before trying to drive. Keys pressed during loading may arrive too early to register an action.

Driving through the streets

Up sets the car in motion. Left and Right let you change direction. The four-arrow indicator on the panel helps you follow the direction chosen. Watch how the buildings and the intersections move to recognize your route.

The panel includes the MPH and DAM gauges, as well as the drawing of the steering wheel. At the top appear the time and a number that changes when an attempt is lost. Try short moves at the start. A held command can carry the car to the next intersection and make the maneuver you wanted harder.

Start by practicing on one street and watch the direction indicator after each key press. If you crash and the car goes back to the starting point, check the panel before continuing. The pause in ClaBa Player lets you stop the action while you read these instructions.

The disk and the images of this edition

The online game uses the collection's D64 disk, kept inside its original ZIP. The browser setup uses the drive's virtual reading so that the first level loads. The game files are kept unchanged.

The gallery shows the Lotus intro, the original image of Axel, the menu and the driving. The video of this version runs about a minute and a half. You can open it from the Videos tab to see the city and its panel.

The download keeps the collection's disk. To use it on your computer you need a Commodore 64 emulator that supports D64. The VICE documentation explains the joystick ports and the emulator's virtual keyboard.

Beverly Hills Cop for ZX Spectrum presents Axel Foley beside the red car and lets you pick a stage from its menu. The Warehouse opens the warehouse, with stacked crates, armed men and a panel of lives, score and Bonus. The title screen keeps the 1990 Paramount copyright.

From the intro to the warehouse

Press Play now and wait for the image of Axel to appear. The E key on the physical keyboard sends Space to the Spectrum and lets you move on to the menu What's Your Pleasure? There you will find The Warehouse, Car Chase, Storm Mansion, Inside the Mansion and The Entire Game.

The options are chosen with the Spectrum's virtual keyboard. Press V to open it, use the arrow keys to mark 1 and confirm with Z. The keyboard disappears when the key is sent. Wait for the loading to finish and for Axel to appear in front of the crates before you start moving him.

V brings the keyboard back when you need to enter another Spectrum key. Inside that keyboard, Z confirms the selected key. In the game, that same Z performs the fire action. Check which screen is open before pressing it.

Walking and taking cover among the crates

Left and Right move Axel and make the warehouse scroll across the screen. Down crouches him. Z is fire. Start with two short moves, one in each direction, and watch which way the character is facing.

Enemies appear both at Axel's level and on top of the crates. They can also approach from behind. Watch both sides as you advance. The bottom panel keeps the labels Lives, Score and Bonus so you can check the state of the game.

A hit can knock Axel down and leave him on the ground for a moment. Wait for him to be back on his feet before reading a new key press as movement. The pause in ClaBa Player stops the emulation if you need to consult the instructions.

Choosing the program's controls

The site's setup uses the Keyboard mode that is selected at the start. If you enter Control Options, keep that option. To open this section from the main menu, enter 0 with the virtual keyboard. The screen also offers Sinclair Port 1, Sinclair Port 2 and Kempston Joystick. E sends Space to leave that screen.

The original IBSA manual lists Z, X, J, N and K as the game's keys. The player adapts those inputs to the arrow keys and Z on the physical keyboard. To consult the reference you can open the Spectrum and Amstrad manual. The Fuse documentation explains the virtual keyboard and the mapping of the controller inputs.

The collection's tape

The online game uses the TAP included in the original ZIP, with the same bytes as the collection's tape. The download keeps that original ZIP. To use it on your computer you need a Spectrum emulator that supports TAP.

The gallery contains the intro, the menu and screenshots of the warehouse. The video of this edition runs about 30 seconds. It shows the same scene and its panel of lives, score and Bonus.