Clean Sweep is the Vectrex answer to Pac-Man. But in this version the maze is intended to be the corridors of a bank and the dots represent backnotes scattered over the floor as the villains made good their escape. The Pac Man is replaced by a vacuum cleaner - sucking up the notes and the ghosts by the Grabbers - claw-like creations which chase you around.
This all sounds great in the instructions on the size of the box. Trouble is, once you plug in the game there is nothing remotely resembling a bank, a bank robber or any cash!
The idea of the game is to suck up all the cash scatted around the maze with your vacuum cleaner. This looks like a little fog horn.
The robbers are represented as clacking claws which snap open and shut as they chase you around the maze. In the four corners of the maze are super-chargers that you can visit once on each screen.
When supercharged you can set off after the robbers and, if you manage to catch one whilst still supercharged - score 100 for one, 200 for two, 400 for three and a maximum 800 for four.
Your vacuum cleaner can get full up - and has to be emptied by going to the centre of the maze.
As in Pac-Man, there are screen exits which enable you to disappear, and then re-appear at the other end of the maze.
It's difficult to lose yourself in the theme of the game as the graphics are so unconvincing.
Gameplay rapidly becomes boring and mechanical as there are no little twists of hidden bonus earners which you can build up to as your skill increases.
If you want a new game for your brand new Vectrex, my advise is to forget this and check out Cosmic Chasm instead.
1st September 1983
