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Dave the Dungdroid is trapped in the dungeons of the planet Hunkidory. All you have to do is help him battle his way through 20 different levels, back to the planet's surface.

Hunkidory is an early program by the prolific ladders and levels game writer Peter Scott. Unlike Last Of The Free, each level consists of a single screen - you do not wander from screen to screen collecting objects.

Before you can proceed to the next level you need to collect all the 10 valves scattered around the screen. As is usual with this type of game, success is dependant upon spotting the correct route as well as split-second timing.

Each screen is constructed from a mixture of walkways, moving platforms and sharp spikes. Whizzing between these structural hazards are numerous alien life-forms - needless to say, contact with such creatures is always fatal.

The graphics employed in Hunkidory are dated, the sprites very simple, and the backgrounds crude and boring. They may be a challenge to complete, but they don't have the necessary graphical gloss to make you want to keep trying till you succeed.

One of the most infuriating features of the game is the way that everything is reset when you lose a life. No matter how close you are to completing the screen, you are returned to the starting point and all the valves are replaced.

The controls are simple - left, right and jump. Stepping from the edge of a platform causes you to fall vertically - however the left and right keys can be used to provide a controlled drift in either direction.

The instructions contain a mysterious message about pressing Control and C to produce strange effects. On one occasion I tried this combination and exterminated the next alien I encountered. When attempting to reproduce this effect I hung the machine. C'est la vie.

The top two lines of the screen are reserved as a status display showing the level number, lives left, time remaining before your present droid expires and your score.

There are options to play with or without music, or run a demo routine which gives you a three second glimpse of every screen you will encounter.

Hunkidory is a very average ladders and levels game - you have been warned.

Steve Brook