Previous Next

There are creatures that one usually expects to find up a tree - squirrels, owls, the occasional frog even. Eggs do not live in trees, neither do they have legs, build tree houses or start large families. Or don't they?

In the land of Yolksville they definitely do - millions of the little bleeders who live in oval joy and harmony. But one thing blights their rosy white and yellow lives - it is the rumour that the Evil Wizard Zaks has no time for eggs. This is actually a lie. Zaks has a special place reserved for eggs at his breakfast table. It's called his plate. To the Yolkfolk, this geezer is nown as the Evil Wizard Zaks purely because he likes his eggs - fried. It was not Zaks' intention to hold the egg he lifted from the local shop captive. However - from the Yolkfolk's perspective - tomorrow's breakfast is called Daisy and her boyfriend Dizzy is going spare!

Dizzy is the star of many a Sinclair Spectrum game. Now every problem this egg has ever had to face is conveniently fitted together into one adventure for the Megadrive. Guide Dizzy in his quest to save Daisy from the Evil Wizard Zaks and help him make sense of his far from natural surroundings in the process.

Dizzy is the star of many a successful, home-computer title. Interestingly enough.

Direct Dizzy in his adventure through Yolkville's platformed plains, locating and relocating important items.

With the extensive array of locations awaiting Dizzy's constant exploration, it helps to know where he's been. There are 250 stars lingering in Yolksville. By collecting them, Dizzy can tell if he's visited somewhere before due to an absence of stars in that area.

Many of the tools and intriguing articles collected by the player's free-range partner are of a strictly practical nature. Yet there are also occasional puzzle-pages found in some locations. These fun-filled, magical documents are left behind by the good wizard of Yolksville and reward Dizzy with an extra life should he solve the puzzle.

Dizzy is able to carry three items around with him at any time. This is handy as every item left strewn about Yolksville is put to good use. For example, there are lifts that only function if the correct key is installed and machinery requiring a spanner in the works in order to function properly. Unfortunately for Dizzy, the most important items are usually found at the furthest point from the relevant obstacle. Jeesh!

Oh dear. Converting a Dizzy game over to the Megadrive is akin to powering a Lamborghini Countach with a rubber band!! The Codemasters deserve credit for the pretty appearance of their game but there is nothing of the genius found in the Codemasters' other product, Micro Machines.

Merely lugging objects from one location to another is no big fun and scant reward is offered at the end of the process. Though Fantastic Dizzy's graphics are appealling, the game plays like the old Spectrum game upon which it is based. Sorry, Codemasters, but this is a fairly rotten egg in an otherwise healthy basket.

The problem with Dizzy is the game isn't "big" enough for the machine. Dizzy is essentially a ten-year-old concept, when the Amiga was a sparkle in Commodore's eye and Spectrums ruled the Earth.

Now suddenly after aeons of game evolution, Dizzy and 16-bit technology have been hurled together. Codemasters were so busy wondering if they could, they stopped to think whether they should. The game itself is a jolly affair, the graphics look simplistic but cheerful, and there's plenty of platform action to be had.

The puzzle element is essentially taking object A to location X over and over, and awaiting a result. It's just not enough for sophisticated Megadrive owners, brought up on quality fare like Flashback and X-Men. Dizzy is 'nice', but sometimes it's better to be nasty.

Presentation 76%
P. A lot of care is taken to present Dizzy in an effective cartoon style.
N. Still it all looks very old-fashioned and 8-bitty.

Graphics 71%
P. Some lovely effects such as random thunderstorms enhance the children's story-book appeal.
N. The vast majority of sprites are far too small and therefore not impressive at all - just functional.

Sound 50%
N. Poor reworkings of 'classic' Dizzy themes are a virtual insult to the Megadrive's sound chip.

Playability 63%
P. Dizzy is pleasant to control. He responds well enough to commands.
N. Unfortunately, Dizzy's trials and tribulations aren't half as pleasant to endure.

Lastability 57%
N. Fantastic Dizzy is nowhere near as fanciful as the title suggests and quickly becomes a bore.

Overall 59%
Commiserations to the Codemasters in presenting this - one of the least endearing Megadrive titles in existence.