Computer Gamer


Frank Bruno's Boxing

Publisher: Elite
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Computer Gamer #6

Frank Bruno's Boxing

At long last Elite have produced a licensed game that is actually worth buying. Frank Bruno's Boxing is a fairly accurate version of one of the arcade boxing games. You control Bruno, of course, who is represented by a see-through wire frame figure, over whose shoulder you look to see your opponent.

You have eight possible opponents. These are recorded on side B of the cassette and loaded in individually as you overcome each opponent in successive fights.

The controls available to you include left/right punching, ducking, dodging, raising and lowering your guard and (if you're doing well enough) a knockout punch. At first the controls didn't see to be very responsive and it was difficult to co-ordinate my boxer's movements, but after a while I began to get the hang of it and my timing improved. Fairly soon, things started to liven up and I was joyfully landing flurries of punches on my opponent's head, which had the disturbing habit of collapsing into a blob when hit!

Frank Bruno's Boxing

As you defeat each boxer, you receive a code which you need to load the next one, and there's also a Hall of Fame for recording your best results.

The graphics are good, though the large figures of the boxers don't move as fast as perhaps they could. The boxers don't really move around the ring very much, but when they do move, the view of the spectator outside the ring moves from side to side a little to give you a clear view.

To be honest, I didn't really find that loading the additional boxers made all that much difference to the game. On the whole I think that this is an enjoyable game when played in short bursts, but during the few days that I had it for, it didn't really hold my attention for periods of more than about forty minutes.