Zzap


Circus Attractions
By Golden Goblins
Commodore 64

 
Published in Zzap #51

Circus Attractions

Roll up, roll up and join the Morelli circus. One or two players can experience the thrills and spills of life under the big top, either playing all five events. So stick your red nose on and get entertaining.

Bounce, boing, spring on the trampoline, performing somersaults, collecting bonus objects and keeping audience interest as high as you can jump.

Go even higher for the second event: tightrope walking. Balance on the high wire and perform handstands and somersaults, but it's a long way down... and there's no safety net!

Circus Attractions

Back on the ground, you can juggle your balls (up to six!). Extra items may also be taken from your beautiful assistant, including a club and a balancing ball which you kick up in the air and catch with your foot.

The next event is dangerous, but not for you - it's your lovely assistant who's in peril as you throw knives at her, while she spins round on a rotating wheel. But watch out - the girl passing you the knives sometimes hands you a stick of dynamite!

The final event involves three clowns, two seesaws and a ghost! Clowns catapult their colleagues through the air by landing on the other end of the seesaw. While in flight, a clown can collect bonus objects while avoiding the lethal ghost. If a clown misses the seesaws altogether or lands in the arms of his colleague, it's performance over.

Circus Attractions

If you choose to play all five events (the main performance) you get three extra chances which can be used to repeat a trick which went wrong. Your final score is an average of the five event scores.

Randy

All the fun of the circus, eh? Well, I'd rather have a crate of Newcastle Brown, but this is still a reel big-top treet. I say this even though I've never really liked the circus - all those poofy clowns, wearing make-up and fright wigs are git crap.

But making them bounce around the screen and sometimes letting them have a haaaard landing is reely hellish. With its five fun events and fab two-player mode, Circus Attractions is certainly great improvement over previous big-top efforts.

Phil

Circus Attractions

Cor, can't you just smell that sawdust and elephant dung?! The great theme tune and effects really help the atmosphere in this fun and funny game.

The colourful graphics are also very attractive, ranging from the comical jumping clowns to the large juggler. Gameplay matches the presentation with five wonderfully wacky events.

I like the knife throwing the best - you can even throw knives at the people standing by the wheel! What really makes this better than your average circus sim though is the great two-player mode. Both players perform simultaneously collaborating in all the events.

Definitely the best circus simulation I've seen, Circus Attractions is hilarious big top fun.

Verdict

Presentation 70%
Comprehensive instructions (in English and German!) and plenty of options.

Graphics 72%
Well-drawn with humorous touches.

Sound 71%
Appropriate theme tune and effects.

Hookability 70%
The controls are very easy to master.

Lastability 69%
The two-player mode should keep you laughing for a while.

Overall 70%
Not technically amazing, but still the best circus sim yet.