Previous Next

Every platform game released compares itself, and is compared to, Jet Set Willy. Most, of course, come nowhere near. Dynamite Dan, however, surpasses it.

The plot, as usual, is disposable. For what it's worth, Dan is a secret agent sent to steal the top secret plans of Dr Blitzen's mega ray from a mountain top hideaway.

The house is infested with lethal mobile thingies, and Dan must avoid those as best he can while all the time collecting sticks of dynamite and consuming the scattered munchies. Points are scored for food eaten and objects amassed; test tubes score highly as well as giving extra lives.

A lift will take you to various levels before depositing you above the waters which run below the house. Those can be navigated with a raft, though once on it you must keep walking to stop falling off, and strategic hops are necessary to avoid flying birds and insects.

Dotted around the building are trampolines, useful for reaching inaccessible ledges but decidedly dodgy to negotiate, and teleporters which transport you to other rooms.

Such a straightforward description does little to convey the horrifically addictive nature of the game, but only a few minutes play will have you beyond redemption. The graphics are all they should be; large, colourful and free of flicker. The obligatory irritating music is present too.

Scoring virtually no brownie points for originality, the game is nevertheless well set to be the platform game of the summer. Forget Jet Set Willy II and fork out the folding stuff instead for Dynamite Dan.