Bull Run (Phipps) Review | Crash

Crash

1st April 1984

Bull Run

Author:
Publisher: Phipps Associates
Machine: Spectrum 16K

Published in Crash #3

Bull Run | Comments | Comment 1 | Comment 2 | Comment 3

Bull Run

A bull has escaped in the streets of a Spanish town where you are holidaying. Being fearless, you offer to persuade it back into the arena by placing fences to divert it, and use yourself as bait to attract it. If you succeed the townsfolk will reward you.

The screen shows the town from above, but it more resembles a model of a some medieval village from a history book. Sixteen houses surround a central pond, with the arena at the top. The fences are kept down on the right. Depending on the ferocity of the bull chosen, the fences will only stand up to such mistreatment and collapse.

Comments

Control keys: Cursors for direction, P = pick, D = Drop
Joystick: AGF, Protek cursor clip on
Keyboard play: Poor
Colour: Below average
Graphics: Very poor
Sound: Unimaginative
Skill levels: Three
Lives: One

Comment 1

This is a desperately irritating program. The idea would be a good one, but selecting a level is a major business while you wait for the words to wend their way down the screen, then your man has to move from the bottom left of the screen to the bottom right to start collecting fences. This takes an age because of the dreadful graphics. Fences are collected by pressing the P key and dropped by pressing the D key - very obvious, but silly keys to use because they are far apart. You need to drop the fences quickly because the bull can still gore you while you are carrying one. It may sound like a good idea but the execution is not.

Comment 2

The graphics are small, not really animated and very jerky character movement. I found the game uninspiring, in fact I didn't enjoy it at all.

Comment 3

It says on the inlay that this is 100% machine code. If it is then I'm surprised. It doesn't look it. The graphics are primitive to say the least. It's also quite unplayable because the speed of the man is too slow compared to that of the bull which moves along in great jerks like a jumping spider. Not very nice.