1st January 1985
Potty Pigeon
This is Gremlin Graphic's Spectrum follow up to Monty Mole. Originally released first on the CBM64, Potty Pigeon on the Spectrum is quite a different game and in a way more complex. The pigeon owns a nest in a tree with three ever-hungry chicks in it. What they want is worms and loads of them. Here and there across the linked screens there are heads up above ground, worms sticking their silly heads up above ground. Potty has to go around and collect them, one at a time, and fly them back to the nest. This costs him a lot of energy, which is replenished by catching the mayflies, not an easy task as dart about. Although if he walks his energy level also goes up.
Life would be just too easy for Potty if it weren't for those little hazards that make life interesting. In this case these include a busy helicopter, snap dragons, frogs, angry red birds, spiders and cars on the road in some screens (it was the cars that made up all of the CBM64 version). The landscape itself also poses problems as objects cut up the playing space, forcing Potty to fly dangerously close to some hazards. His sole means of defence is a natural function which pigeons have a habit of using all the while. It stuns the nasty for a few moments!
Comments
Control keys: Q/W left/right, P/L up/down, N to SYM SHIFT to fire
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair 2
Keyboard play: responsive, well laid out
Use of colour: good
Graphics: quite good, smooth and detailed
Sound: above average
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3
Screens: 11
Screenshots
