Cavey (Players) (BBC Model B)
Caveman Capers
Reviewed By Jon Revis In The Micro User 4.07
Long, long ago when dinosaurs ruled the Earth the task of hunting for food to feed your wife and 2.4 kids was a risky business. If you weren't man enough to pinch a couple of steaks from the rear end of a brontosaurus when it wasn't looking you could always take a few pot shots at the pterodactyls. As Cavey the caveman you choose the second option, but soon find that it isn't as easy as it looks.
The action takes place in a deep valley bordered by two steep cliffs. You stand alone in the middle of the valley, with five spears stuck in the ground nearby. The pterodactyls begin to congregate overhead preparing to attack. As the first of the huge beasts launches itself from the cliff top you must run and pick up a spear.
Hitting the Return key results in a spear being launched skywards. The first time I did this I just sat there admiring the shot, only to become a caveman kebab as it fell back to earth.
Adopting the hit and run technique will avoid such mishaps.
The pterodactyls don't take kindly to your aggressive nature and begin a bombing campaign. The reptiles attack in unison and the air is filled with flying dino doos. The instructions say they are rocks but you can't fool me, I know a dino doo when I see one.
It goes without saying that being struck by such a projectile is fatal - the pterodactyls werepretty bigbeasts, you know. Not only are these falling deposits a nuisance, they also cause problems on the ground. There is a two second delay between them hitting the ground and then disappearing. If you tread on one during this time you slip and break your neck.
Cavey does not use state of the art graphics, nor does it have the benefit of an expensive advertising campaign.
What it has got is that special something which keeps you coming back for more, and at £2.99 who can argue with that?