Home Computing Weekly


Manic Death Chase
By Knightsoft
Commodore 16/Plus 4

 
Published in Home Computing Weekly #119

When I first saw this cassette I expected some sort of frantic game in which you have to avoid hoards of voracious nasties intent on slicing you up. Much to my disappointment the game didn't quite live up to its title. What you have to do is escape from a large maze comprised of the usual platforms and steps. Littered about the maze are clumps of poisonous spikes and marauding nasties, and contact with either of these results in the loss of one of your three lives. You control the little man by means of three keys enabling him to move left, right or jump. Control of the game was very tricky and being limited to just the keyboard aggravated mailers. Some of us do have joysticks!

The graphics were rather uninspired with the platforms built up from brick patterns. The only animation was the irritating flicker of the main figure, although his movement was quite smooth. As you reach the edge of the screen, the next portion scrolls across.

To put it bluntly, this is a remarkably unexceptional game with almost no excitement potential. The nasties move in a predictable pattern leaving you to simply work out the optimum route. Notwithstanding these comments, the game is difficult and requires good timing, but this leads to its downfall since it's very difficult to achieve the correct timing via the keyboard.

At £6.95 this game is grossly overpriced and doesn't do justice to the C16's graphics capabilities. There's better than this around!

A.W.

Other Commodore 16/Plus 4 Game Reviews By A.W.


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