High School Heartbreaker

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Mikie began life as a successful arcade game; I've been playing one of the home micro conversions on my Electron. It's also available for the Beeb, but, unfortunately, not on the same tape. And it is obviously a conversion, since, although the graphics are a sophisticated copy of the original, using a 3D effect reminiscent of Pedro (need I say more?), programmer Peter Johnson hasn't made the most of the Elk's facilities. For example, although the inlay card promises a bell and music, there's neither. Worse, the program takes ages to work out what to do next - when you lose a life, for example, there's a frustrating pause, a pathetic beep, and, if it's your last life, a further pause of several seconds before things are reorganised for a new game. The promises of music isn't the only inaccuracy on the inlay card: we're also promised five lives, but only get three.

Yet, somewhere in this program, there's an entertaining game trying to get out. Pity it's so hard to get at. Its theme is to guide hero Mikie through a series of rooms in his US high school, collecting hearts as he goes. You start in a classroom and progress via a locker room, corridor and gym to, finally, the schoolyard, where he spots his sweetheart. You complete the game by giving her the message 'OK'. Progress, however, is hampered throughout by very persistent teachers, a chef and manic janitors.

I found playing Mikie a frustrating experience: it's sometimes difficult to tell where you are with the fancy 3D effect - very clever programming, no doubt, but it gives me a feeling of floating in space. It's also a very difficult game to play. In particular, the corridor scenes which join each of the main scenes seem unnecessarily difficult, and seem to me to reply as much on luck as on skill.

I wouldn't buy it, but what do I know?

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