1st May 1985
Er-Bert's Busy, But Noisy
In Er-Bert from Microbyte you have to change the colour of squares around you by jumping on them.
All the time however, the local hit-squad consisting of Coily the snake and Boris the gorilla try to vapourise you out of existence. Cascading balls make life even more difficult than it already is.
If things get really hot you can move yourself to the top of the grid via one of two transporter discs. These can be used for escaping from your enemies.
Another delightful way of escaping is by use of a rota hat in which Er-Bert looks rather smart. With this Er-Bert can lift or lower himself two rows.
You can score double points by stealing Boris's banana.
Lovable Boris will not hesitate to zap you with his big hairy arms if you do. but you can drop the banana and make good your escape.
There are 10 levels each with four different screens and a fast or slow play option. The keys take a little time to master and at first I kept falling off the grid and losing a life for no apparent reason.
The graphics are extremely good but the sound becomes a little tedious after a short time and, as there is no sound-off button, I found myself stuffing up the speaker with tissues.
Er-Bert is a faithful replica of the original Q-Man and is good value for money.
Other BBC Model B Game Reviews By Simon Rubins
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