Zzap


Little Green Man

Publisher: Bug Byte
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Zzap #35

Little Green Man

The King of all the Little Green Men has escaped abduction but is stranded in a foreign land. To escape, he negotiates the hazardous horizontally scrolling landscape, collects energy from depots and finally enters a spaceship, in which he returns home.

SJ

Bug-Byte's record in the budget field isn't an impressive one, but this game offers hope for the future. It isn't brilliant, but it does have a certain mindless appeal: guiding a distended frog-like creature around an unbelievably frustrating series of pitballs and ladders is quite enjoyable for a while.

An annoying feature is the delay between lives: a sequence of closing the screen and recreating the character at the nearest 'teleport' takes far too long, and severely detracts from the playability.

Little Green Man

It's simplistic, it's stupid and it's fun; with patience, it could even prove worthwhile.

PS

This is a very unusual game, but quite playable nonetheless. The odd and imaginative landscapes coloured in eerie shades of blue give a totally alien feel, and the buck-toothed, big-nosed main character is appealing enough to draw you back. The scond is equally extraordinary: a low synthesised bagpipe noise and a squeaky smattering of speech create a humorous and unfamiliar atmosphere.

The gameplay isn't very original, and it can be very frustrating at times, but it's demanding enough to be endured.

Little Green Man

There's no front end, and it does have some major faults, but if you're prepared to stick with it, you could well find it fun.

Verdict

Presentation 58%
Generally reasonable, but marred by the tedious delay between goes.

Graphics 66%
Original and unusual backdrops and a cute, fairly well-animated main character.

Little Green Man

Hookability 69%
Difficult to get into, but it somehow sparks a determined effort to progress.

Lastability 45%
The little variety proves tedious after a while.

Overall 52%
An average arcade adventure/shoot-'em-up with unusual elements which could prove appealing.