Computer Gamer


Leaper

Publisher: Bug Byte
Machine: Commodore 16/Plus 4

 
Published in Computer Gamer #20

Leaper

It comes as a refreshing change to find such a simple but highly challenging game as Leaper. The task of getting a cute rodent-like creature through a series of moving gaps to the top of the screen does not sound the most difficult of games. However, as is the case with most things in life, things are not quite as simple as they seem.

Leaper's ambition is to see his name in lights. Your job is to get Leaper to the top of the screen and light up the letters that spell out his name one by one. The hazards blocking his claim to fame are many. Firstly, between the letters and Leaper are seven platforms through which he must pass. To get through these, he must jump through moving gaps that appear in the platforms but these gaps are continuously moving to different platfforms and cause serious headaches. Sometimes you are lucky and can find four gaps in a straight line above you, thus enabling you to pass through the levels in one jump.

Problems arise when you are one level from the letters and a moving gap comes along the platform and you fall down all the platforms you've just jumped through. As well as these hazards, there's also an energy meter which rapidly decreases every time you fall heavily and there are the nasty Gribblies. The Gribblies are a collection of weird objects, ranging from Cupid's arrow to UFOs, that pass along the platforms and try to kill you by making contact.

It all contributes to a fast-moving game that has some splendid sound effects and graphics. It deserves to be part of any games enthusiast's collection.