C&VG


Midnite Mason
By Arcade Hardware
TI99/4A

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #47

Midnite Mason

As a brickie you've left your tools inside a building and decide to collect them at night. That's where your problems start, since four ghosts want you to leave your tools where they are. Seven different tools are scattered at various locations.

Midnite Mason has six different building layouts and four levels of difficulty. Play with either keyboard or joystick and, since the documentation doesn't mention it, release the Alpha Lock key, or you will be in trouble.

When the fourth level is completed, the ghosts are less smart, but faster. A timer counts backwards from 900 to 000 in decrements of 10, so it's keep on the move all the time.

On the plus side for our brickie is that when the fire button is pressed, he hacks away the floor, causing a ghost a hasty downward exit. Equally as quickly, he can mend the floor, bridging any gaps he has made.

The mason's speed seems slow, especially when the ghosts are on his trail, but with strategic moves you can save him from an untimely end.

You start with three masons, but another is awarded on earning 5,000 points, and you will certainly need one by then.

Midnite Mason may seem a variation on a theme, but its simple, clean presentation, together with excellent graphics and sound will make it a good addition to the Texas enthusiast's collection.