Electron User
1st March 1986
Published in Electron User 3.06
Kissin' Kousins is a good old fashioned arcade game containing two vital ingredients for success - it's addictive and it's fun. The aim of the game seems to be to navigate the male cousin past all manner of hazards until he meets his female counterpart.
It all looks very simple. You move the little chap straight across the screen on a road, jumping him over the odd bush and post box. The quality of the background graphics is so good that you may find your mind wandering from the task in hand.
Another problem is the severe shortage of time. You lose a life if you don't cross the screen quickly enough. Not only that, you are being bombed as well.
It won't be long before you manage screen one with confidence and can then tackle screen two. Success here leads you on to the bouncing kangaroos, and by shooting these defenceless beasts you can obtain bonus points.
By now the road has led to the wooded countryside, and you encounter bats and moving mushrooms. These are pretty taxing, and avoiding them requires a lot of practice.
Screen six brings you to some rather cute frogs, but also to a long, dissolving bridge. This one defeats me so I don't know what happens next.
I have two criticisms. Firstly, a multi-screen game like this should give you the option of starting on any screen. Secondly, the game lacks a high score table, merely keeping a record of the highest score.
Those points apart though, this is an entertaining family game. The graphics and the animation are of a superb standard and the sound is adequate.
An extra bonus is that the tape contains both BBC and Electron versions of the game (Make sure you load the right one!) and supports a First Byte joystick interface. Recommended for arcade addicts of all ages.
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