Big K


House Of The Living Dead

Publisher: Phipps Associates
Machine: Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Big K #5

House Of The Living Dead

Say it in a theatrical whisper: House Of The Living Dead! Isn't it wonderful? It's the sort of title that conjures up all manner of gross George (Dawn Of The Dead) Romero-type imagery. Unfortunately those expecting buckets of arcade blood in the gruesome manner of Forbidden Forest or Orc Attack are in for a disappointment. This is a fun but innocuous (U certificate) maze game in which power pills and ghosts have been replaced by bats and skeletons.

You must collect a segmented holy cross from each corner of the maze and return to the crypt at the centre of the screen. This is simple enough at first as you've only a single bat to contend with, but clear enough screens and you're confronted by hordes of rattling skeletons and dismembered hands (Eek!).

The animation is effective and the soundtrack, namely a jovial rendition of the death march, nothing if not appropriate. It's quite a change of pace from Phipps' renowned adventures and an entertaining alternative to the dread Pac-Man.