After numerous fruitless
attempts to retrieve stolen power
jewels, being continually and
mercilessly eaten alive by
spiders and dropped through
broken floorboards, I feel that I
am well-justified in describing
Ghouls as addictive.
I now fill the top ten scores for
today (under a variety of
pseudonyms) and have still not
progressed past the second
sheet.
As you will by now realise,
one of the great attractions(?) of
this game from Program Power
is that it cannot be mastered in a
couple of minutes.
The scene is set in a deadly
haunted mansion and your task
is to rescue power jewels from
the mischievous ghosts that stole
them.
If you can perfect the knack
of leaping over cracked floor
boards and deadly spikes you
are faced by moving platforms.
Throughout the game you are
pursued by the ever-lurking
spooky ghost. (He seems to crop
up everywhere - especially when
you are nearing the jewels.)
I very much like the idea of
having to watch out for a
multitude of hazards and
enemies with only a few controls
at one's disposal.
No, I'm not a masochist. It's
just refreshing to be able to play
a game almost straightaway
without having first to digest a
lengthy and complicated list of
instructions and controls.
You do have a power pill
which disables the ghost for a
short while, but otherwise it's all
down to coordination and dexterity
in running and jumping
out of harm's way. This requires
practice and a great deal of
patience.
The game is visually successful
in creating a spooky
setting, and choosing to play
with sound effects only enhances
the atmosphere.
Ghouls is simple but effective.
Now I really must go and have
one last stab at retrieving those
jewels...