C&VG


Jet Set Willy
By Software Projects
Commodore 64

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #38

Jet Set Willy

After the usual false starts, broken promises and delays, the review copy of Jet Set Willy for the Commodore 64 finally arrived at the C&VG offices.

Someone said "It's here" and a brawl immediately broke out on the review office floor. After a struggle, I managed to wrestly the cassette away from the Editor who was attempting to pull rank and write the review himself. Bit keen on Jet Set Willy - the C&VG review team.

I didn't have to play the game for very long to realise that it was worth the fight.

Jet Set Willy

It's all here - the Nightmare Room, Banyan Tree, Chapel, Kitchen, Nomen Luni, Bathroom - even Maria, tapping her foot and pointing her finger in Willy's bedroom.

As far as I could see, the game is virtually identical to the original Spectrum game.

If that means nothing to you, let me give you a brief Miner Willy history. It all began in Surbiton where Willy stumbled down a mineshaft full of several items. Twenty screens, and several collected items later, Willy became a very rich miner. The profits from his Surrey strike were invested in a huge mansion where our hero took to throwing lavish parties for his nouveau riche friends.

Jet Set Willy

After one such party, Willy's bossy housekeeper refuses to let him get to bed until he has cleared up all the empty bottles and glasses from around the house.

This is where Jet Set Willy begins and it is your job to guide Willy around the house collecting all the empties.

If you enjoyed Manic Miner on the C64, you will enjoy this too. I rate the game higher than Manic Miner and it is certainly in the Top Five best ever games for the C64.

One extra nice touch in this game worthy of mention is that a scrolling message appears on screen at the beginning of the game pointing out that it is illegal to copy games and that if you do so you are stealing from the people who spend months programming them. Well said, Software Projects.