The 2.0 ROM

 

In early 2002, there was an announcement on the rec.games.pinball newsgroup that a new Cirqus Voltaire ROM was being released. Could this be another BETA ROM with a handful of fixes made to please the collectors and fans of the game? Could this be similar to the "home" ROMS that were released for games like Medieval Madness, Twilight Zone and Monster Bash?

The answer was yes and no. Yes: it is a "home" version of the ROM. The game cannot be set up for anything other than free-play. It cannot accept coins for credits.

No: It is not anything you have ever seen before. It is, in a word, amazing. It fixes things that have been driving CV owner's nuts for years and adds just enough goodies to almost make it a brand new game!

I was astonished to read about all of the fixes/changes that were released in this special ROM. A list, along with information on where to obtain your own, can be found at Hassell Castle (offsite).

The majority of the"little" things that ticked me off about CV have been fixed. The game flows much smoother and faster now that you can cancel almost all of the animations. As if the game wasn't lit-up enough before, the added light effects are a beautiful sight. The "Copy Cat" video-mode is intense and a blast. I also love the added couple-lines of speech (my favorite would have to be "Here comes trouble" before Hat Trick mode).


The added join-the-cirqus games are a blast. There is even a setting to make them all random so you never know which one will come next. The ability to shut off "spot" marvel from the right inlane makes the game a little more challenging. Another aspect of challenge that I like is the fact that Acrobats is now spotted at the top switch of the ramp instead of the ramp entrance. In most of the games I played after installing the ROM, Acrobats is one of the last marvels I needed to achieve.

Not to mention a zillion other extra goodies that I'm sure I had not even seen.

If you have a Cirqus Voltaire, you MUST pick up a copy of the 2.0 ROM. It is amazing. It adds so much to CV that you'll swear you are playing a different game. A special thanks to everyone who was involved in making this happen. It is great to see that even though the company is no longer around, the dedication lives on.

"That was pure skill!!"