Zzap


Skidz
By Gremlin
Amiga 500

 
Published in Zzap #64

Skidz

All those government ads where yobs dropping litter become instantly unattractive to the opposite sex are working! It's rad to be tidy, so you've set out to clean this city up by collecting litter while zooming around on either your BMX bike or skateboard.

On each of six levels, your objective is to collect 75% of the litter. Only ten items of rubbish can be carried, so it's as well there's plenty of bins around. Picking up stopwatches increases your time limit, while half-eaten choccie bars and apple cores (urghh!) boost energy. But watch out for holes in the road, jaywalking pedestrians and pigeons!

Completing a level allows you to visit the shop to spend any money you might have picked up on repairs - to your bike and yourself. Complete all six levels and you get to race against two other, computer-controlled rad lads (this event can be practised at any time).

Stu

Skidz

This is rated dated in concept, a sort of Paperboy-Goes-City-Cleaning, but it plays remarkably well. Learning the route through is good fun, while the bike and skateboard are distinctly different, the latter faster, thinner but less manoeuvrable.

The graphics are good, different for each level and with very smooth multi-directional scrolling. Nothing new perhaps, but scores high on playability.

Robin

This reminds me a lot of Skate Crazy but boosted with the addition of a bike to ride. I wasn't too impressed by the gameplay which lacks major depth, but it's all very enjoyable stuff with a good variety of cartoonish graphics spread around six levels.

Skidz

I found it a little fiddly in places to get out of a corner when the bike/board got stuck and the hop is a little tricky to implement.

But it's good that you can retry a level to boost your energy for the next section.

Verdict

Presentation 62%
Choice of bike or skateboard and ability to continue from level you die on.

Skidz

Graphics 70%
Make reasonable use of the Amiga, with full screen multi-directional scrolling.

Sound 75%
Jolly soundtrack which changes as you pick things up.

Hookability 70%
Attention to detail improves a simplistic game to the standards of a coin-op (albeit a dated one).

Lastability 61%
The levels aren't that difficult, especially with unlimited continue plays, but you can try it on both skateboard and cycle.

Overall 64%
Simple, but surprisingly playable.