If I had to choose one program to demonstrate the game playing potential of the unexpanded Vic, this is the one I'd choose.

You have to move your player over a number of bombs to defuse them and gain points, while at the same time avoiding the randomly-positioned skulls and the evilly moving industrial boot.

As if this was not enough, as you move over the screen you leave a trail behind you which you cannot retrace or cross over, although there is a special scroll facility which allows the screen background to be moved to the right or left to bypass any gaps in the screen.

Bonus points can be gained by moving over the randomly placed flags. As you progress from one screen to another the number of boots pursuing you increases up to a maximum of four.

The game makes excellent use of the VIC's ability to change the dimensions of the television screen and to create double height user-defined graphics.

The sound generators are also put to good use throughout the game, with a melody playing throughout the game independently of what is happening on screen. There is a constant display of score, hi-score, elapsed time and the time left until the bombs detonate.

This is for my money the best non-cartridge game available for the unexpanded Vic. See what you think!

M.B.