Sinclair User


Bobby Yazz

Author: Tony Dillon
Publisher: Crash
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Sinclair User #79

The Bobby Yazz Show

Bobby Yazz is quite a good game, there's no denying that. It's just too short to deserve any great merit. Set way into the future, somewhere in the mysterious and murky undercover world of, wait for it, the game show! (Oo-ee-oo). Way in the future, everyone is amazingly rich (What, like me? JD) and so all the usual prizes of fondue sets and cuddly toys have fallen into the 'old hat' file. In the days of future, the ultimate stake, and therefore the only one people are willing to chance on prime time national TV, is your life.

The most popular show around at the time is the Bobby Yazz show hosted by the genial host, Bobby Yazz. and his attractive sidekick. Present throughout the entire game, their heads are displayed in various positions on screen offering thoughtful tips like, "Come on," and, "Ha ha ha." With Bob ever smiling, and his bimbo winking like crazy, you have to guide a small ball-like object around 4 levels of mayhem, with the aim being to stay on the show for as long as possible.

The show consists of 4 'events', each one positioned above some alien world, which then explodes upon completion of the levels. By the way, they are:

The Bobby Yazz Show

1. Colour Level Quite simple, this one. Just change all the blocks from blue to red by rolling your ball over them. Unfortunately, little alien things are also roaming about on the grid, and they are also blessed with colour changing capabilities. The only difference being, they change them back.

2. Blind Level On this level, you have beat up as many blind persons as you can in a short time limit. No, joking. Actually, you are in a maze, and have to find your way to the exit. Unfortunately, the maze is invisible. This does tend to make things a little harder, not to mention the incredibly short time limit.

3. Key Level Collect all the small keys dotted around the grid to open the exit whilst avoiding all the nasties who just happen to kill on contact and doing all this in the sort time limit. Things are getting harder.

4. Bonus Level A bit of a break, as you have almost no worries on this level. Simply run over as many bonus symbols as possible. The requisite amount, and it's a whopping great 5000 bonus points for you.

Between some of the levels are, as with almost every game show, the commercials. Short, almost blipverts of the latest things are advertised just to whet your appetite. Other show like 'TAG WAR', where teams travel to other countries, meet other teams, and then annihilate them, and the latest movies, 'Rocky XI - The Musical'. These are very well done, and very amusing to start with, but as there are only about 5 of them, they do tend to grate after the second viewing.

Graphics are fairly basic, though Bobby and Slappa are very nicely done. It's actually very amusing to see Bobby shaking his head in mock sadness as you die, and then burst into fits of laughter. Sound is nothing to be whistled about just very few SFX, and the title 'tune' (I use the word lightly) grates on the ears after a very small amount of time

Like I said, not a terrible game, but far too low on the content side.

Overall Summary

Interesting idea quite well implemented.

Tony Dillon

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