Crash


Dizzy

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Nick Roberts
Publisher: Codemasters
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Crash #46

Dizzy

The sadistic Wizard Zaks works evil in the realm of Katmandu. To destroy his domination, Dizzy The Egg sets out to create a potion that can spike the warlock's spellmongering.

It's early closing down at the local supermarket, so Dizzy has to scour the land for the ingredients of his enervating brew, mentioned in an ancient recipe. And to gather together these unpleasant articles our ovular friend must walk, tumble and leap vertiginously through graveyards, forest and subterranean worlds full of lethal rivers and falling stalactites. Dizzy can also use magic mushrooms for extra-high bounding power - and all these tricks are useful, because points are awarded for every screen he completes.

But this isn't going to be just another Sunday-afternoon bound for our eggy hero. Many creatures and objects are under the wizard's control: bats with a cruel touch flutter through the air, Granny Smiths drop from trees toward our hero's noggin, rickety bridges disintegrate underfoot and spiders slip down their silken threads; other scuttlers patrol narrow tunnels ... waiting.

Dizzy

During his travels, Dizzy may discover items that he can put to use - but only if he can first solve their purpose, perhaps with the help of the onscreen clues. With such things as spades, bags of gold and oilcans, Dizzy can open up whole new vistas of exploration that take him further in his quest.

When Dizzy has collected all the potion's ingredients he can return to the large cauldron, light it, and throw in the ingredients and the empty magic potion flask. Once filled, the flask can be carried to the evil wiz and smashed next to him. Katmandu is then released from his evil powers and Dizzy can look to the future as a free egg, not a potential omelette.

Comments

Joysticks: Kempston
Graphics: very good cartoon-type graphics with plenty of colour
Sound: a good tune rattles away on the title screen but there are few FX

Nick ... 85%

Dizzy

Anyone for scrambled eggs? Well, if not, don't get jumping too high in this fantastic new game from Codemasters. It's very similar to Firebird's cute Spiky Harold, which had a hedgehog instead of an egg. The animation is excellent; the graphics are brilliant, with colour complementing them perfectly; sound is used, with a good tune at the start and spot FX and tunes in the game. I can't find anything nasty to say about Dizzy, it's just so addictive and neat.

Ben … 77%

Dizzy may be a little too cute and cuddly for my liking, but there's a great game hidden within those small and furry folds! The average puzzle-solving/arcade adventure has never really appealed to me, so perhaps the puzzles in this one are much more logical - or perhaps it's lust plain easy to play. Whatever it is, it's tab. The inlay, like most of Codemasters' inlays, goes a little overboard - the word 'brilliant' appears four times. But it's true: Dizzy is one to have in your software collection.

Ricky … 72%

Dizzy is an appealing game with enough puzzles to keep your interest going for a while. The graphics are all rather cutesy - it's the sort of game that provokes your mum to say 'Aw, isn't that sweet' - though the number of things that can kill you can become quite distracting. Dizzy is a worthy product.

Nick RobertsBen StoneRichard Eddy

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