REVIEW

AT 12,3; "MR MONEY!"

Reviewer: Surgeon
Developer: Pete
Genre: Maze & Collect
Platform: Spectrum 48K
Language: BASIC

Modern Games, eh? Gigabytes of beautiful 3D graphics representing hyper-realistic fantasy worlds, 30 minute movie-quality story-driven introductory sequences and 5-hour tutorial missions just to teach you how to move left and right and collect the 'hidden' items.

Back in the 80s you'd be lucky if you got a few UDGs, a flimsy text-only back story and 3 second countdown before you were thrown into the game and instantly zapped by a randomly placed enemy sprite!

This entry, by Pete, is a fine example of 1989 BASIC bedroom programming and he claims it's a prequel-of-sorts to his 2011 effort; Poddy Hawkins' Big Adventure.

In fact this could well have been a legitimate WGITW entry - if it weren't for a feeling I have that, perhaps, a young Pete may have genuinely thought this could be the next Manic Miner?! (Plus it was written a year after the SU compo ended - Ed)

After a flimsy text-only back story there's a bizarre (but lovingly crafted) beeper medley of vaguely recognisable tunes. You are then presented with a super-trippy screen offering you the choice of Animal, Vegetable, Mineral or Vegan Twig.

It's only after reading the instructions* (Eh!? Wot's dem, den? - Ed) that it becomes apparent that the options relate to the in-game keyboard controls - ranging from good old QAOP to the downright masochistic 5678.

I select "2. Vegetable" - 'cos that's how I roll - and there's a visual treat as the screen fades (albeit slowly) using the full arsenal of attribute colour blocks.

The game screen appears and, as per the super helpful message at the bottom, this one is pretty easy... Navigate the simple maze and collect the flashing £s? Well, it would be if it weren't for 3 things...

#1. Seemingly unresponsive controls
#2. An already challenging time limit
#3. You die if you touch the walls!

That's right; just in case the first two don't give you enough reason to punch your Speccy and swear like you're playing Pixbit, it's also INSTANT GAME OVER if you happen to press the wrong direction key, or otherwise dare to make a SINGLE MISTAKE.

This makes for some spectacularly frustrating gameplay and there's no doubt in my mind, if there had been a requirement to jump in this game, Pete would have used the Up key just to ruin my enjoyment even more!

With a bit of practice, and maybe some luck, you might make it round the maze and collect the flashing £s in time and make it to Screen 2. The problem is, by the time you've got your bearings, you'll have no doubt accidentally hit a wall or run out of time and have to start from Screen 1 again.

For me, at least, this fail-and-repeat process was a little lacking in the fun department.

Pete claims there's a 'level select' cheat which might have allowed me to get a bit further in the game, however, it looks like I'll have to wait for ANDREW RYALS' Hack Pack as I'll be buggered if I can find it!

There's another vaguely recognisable beeper tune and a high score table rounding the game off, however, I think it's unlikely I'll ever see my name on it.

All in all, then, a triumphantly successful crap games outing for Pete!

* There's also a tantalising glimpse at what could have been in the shape of "also available" Muncher and Bouncing Bill - hopefully coming to next year's CSSCGC!?

[ Top of Page ]