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A PRETTY DUCKY GAME?

A dwarf and a duck venture into a strange building called the Night House. 'There'll be tons o' treasure in 'ere' says Shorty. 'And it says in the blurb that if we find ten special keys, we can get to the Calculations Room, whatever that is.'

'Quack!' agrees Ducky. So off they set through cobwebbed rooms, Ducky flying directly above Shorty's head: 'I hope you don't get too scared by the spooky things round here,' warns Shorty, 'or I'll need to wash my hair when I gets 'ome'.

On entering a doorway, the duo drop appear in a ominous looking expanse. Here, in a murky corridor live some of the weirdest flying creatures Ducky has ever seen. 'They don't look like my mates,' he informs Shorty. 'Ouch! One just hit me - gerra move on will ya, Shorty!'

But Shorty is about as fast as a tortoise on crutches. '(tell you what,' says Ducky, 'I'll fly on ahead to look for the treasure chests and you can follow me when I find one.'

'But 'ow will I know where you are?' enquires Shorty.

'Simple,' replies Ducky. 'You see, this split-screen technique allows us both to be shown at the same time. And if we're together, we can even see a map'.

'Ingenious!' enthuses Shorty. 'Pity it's such a crappy, boring game really. Flipping daft graphics an' all - does my bottom really wobble like that?'

'I'm afraid so-ever since you went on the Nick Roberts high-fat diet!' quacks Ducky.

PHIL … 28%

THE ESSENTIALS Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair Graphics: sloppy, flabby sprites search dreary corridors Sound: fetch me my hearing-aid Options: one or two players? Probably best with none

'Oh dear. There isn't really anything in the least bit endearing about Dynamic Duo. It's boring, unattractive and initially confusing, due to both poor instructions and a very badly laid out screen display. What's more, when you do work out the irksome controls the actual game is disappointingly shallow - just run around, shoot things and grab treasure. Two-player games are usually popular in the Towers, but this wasn't. It's probably best playing it in one-player mode, flipping between the characters, so you can't blame anyone else for your mistakes.'