A&B Computing


April Showers

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Shingo Sugiura
Publisher: Bevan Technology
Machine: BBC Model B

 
Published in A&B Computing 2.11

April Showers

I must confess that the storyline to April Showers is refreshingly different and I have never seen a game like this before.

You control a little cloud which floats in the sky. Underneath, there is a small plant thirsty for rain and your task, as you might have guessed, is to keep it alive. Now it would be too easy if all you had to do was to keep the cloud over the plant. Of course, there are baddies in the form of floating brollies! They may be sucked in to gain points, but they drunk your precious rain (that's what it says in the instructions). Rain may be replenished by bumping into other clouds. The trick is to make it rain just enough to keep the plant alive and not get dried up.

This is where the game begins to show its bad design. Firstly, you can not be sure how close you are to drying up. You are suddenly told that you are low on rain and by that time, it's usually too late. So it's all a matter of intuition and not careful judgement. Secondly, there is no variety. All you do is keep the plant alive. No different enemies or new characters. Also, sound effects could have been a lot better. A three part harmony music in the background would have made this game much more interesting.

Usual features such as freeze, sound on/off and hall of fame are there and I must admit that the graphics are quite nice, although there was a bit of flicker. However, as I said, there is no variety and to be quite honest the principle is a bit too simple.

Shingo Sugiura

Other Reviews Of April Showers For The BBC Model B


April Showers (Bevan)
Original Arcade

April Showers (Bevan)
A review by D.R. (Home Computing Weekly)

April Showers (Bevan Technology)
A review

April Showers (Bevan Technology)
A review

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