C&VG
1st May 1984
Publisher: Software Projects
Machine: Spectrum 48K
Published in Computer & Video Games #31
Jet Set Willy
Manic Miner strikes again! That genius of the bizarre, Matthew Smith, the programmer behind the C&VG joystick winner, Manic Miner, has come up with another original game. Everyone has been waiting for the sequel to Matthew's top-selling Spectrum game with bated breath. Could it match up to the quality and playability of Manic Miner? Well, the answer is a resounding yes!
Miner Willy is the star of this game - but he's no longer lost in a mysterious mine. With all the money he made down the mine, Willy has purchased a vast mansion in Surbiton. Why Surbiton? Don't ask me, ask Matthew!
Willy isn't mean with his new-found wealth either - he has huge parties in his new home with hundreds of friends who *really* know how to enjoy themselves.
They often leave the place in quite a mess, however, and Maria, Willy's fiery Italian housekeeper, gets really upset about this. This new Willy epic begins after one of these big parties. Maria has finally put her foot down and won't let poor Willy get to bed until he's cleared up the house! Maria stands at the doorway of the master bedroom and won't let Willy past the threshold until he has picked up every glass and bottle in the place.
Now Willy's mansion is massive and there are places and rooms which even he - an intrepid explorer - hasn't seen yet.
So there you have it - you control the top-hatted Willy on his quest through the weird rooms of his mansion, searching for the glasses and bottles left lying around by his untidy mates.
Jet Set Willy has well over sixty screens - all different - featuring Matthew's wonderful graphic oddities. Watch you for the ballet-dancing rabbit and the penguins in the cold room. Graphic masterpieces in their own right.
There are also some refugees from Manic Miner among the odd creatures to be found - but spotting them yourself is half the fun.
The game is just too big for this reviewer to take in the limited time available to look at it - but I'm certain this game is going to be a winner.
I found it much easier to get into than Manic Miner. The controls are extremely simple - just three keys for left, right and jump. You can also move from screen to screen without having to complete a task first - a bonus when you want to find out what's coming next!
Software Projects have come up with an original anti-piracy device to protect their latest blockbuster. It's a card with a coloured grid pattern. When you load the game, the computer comes up with a random location which corresponds to a square on the grid. You have to key in the colour code before you can play the game. Will it stop the pirates? We don't know - but it will certainly make life more difficult for them.
All this and a great competition too! The first person to discover just how many glasses Willy has to collect before he is allowed to get to bed will win a case of champagne and a helicopter ride over his or her home town.
Jet Set Willy is bound to be up among the top tend in the C&VG Daily Mirror software charts before very long - and I confidently predict that Matthew Smith and Software Projects have got another number one on their hands.
Jet Set Willy is available now from Software Projects of Liverpool and is a bargain at £5.50.