Your Sinclair


Rockford
By Mastertronic
Spectrum 48K

 
Published in Your Sinclair #29

Rockford

Is this the "greatest piece of software ever released?" 'Cos that's what it says on the label! Sorry to differ chaps but I think that's a little out of order. It may not be the greatest, but Rockford is certainly an excellent and entertaining program.

Rockford, for those who know not, is a conversion from the arcade Amiga based coin-op game. And not a bad conversion either. The plot is Boulder Dash re-visited, or to be more correct, Boulder Dash with knobs on.

Contained in the program are five separate playable sections, each multi-level, giving even the most skillo player plenty of action and a big enough challenge to keep him/her coming back again and again.

In all the screens the action is basically the same, dig through the earth like some demented coal miner and liberate every collectable token. Keep a watch out for falling boulders as you go, to avoid mega headaches (and instant death), and Bob's yer uncle. Some screens take a mite more cunning to suss out, while others need a quick eye and a responsive joystick. Every section has a mean time limit to beat, so don't hang about.

Anybody who enjoyed Boulder Dash simply can't fail to find Rockford a bit of a nifty program. All the familiar addictiveness is here, together with hot playability. A couple of the sections may prove to be tough to the uninitiated, but like everything else -practice makes perfect. I found the time limits left very little room for error. Each time I completed a section, it was with two or three seconds to spare. This can be frustrating at times (in fact most of the time!), but if I can live with it I suppose anyone can.

I always enjoyed a good bash at the earlier Boulder Dash games, still do in fact, so Rockford is very welcome on my Speccy any day or night. There are a few rough edges, such as the jerky push-scrolling and the feeble sound, but on the whole the game feels right, and what more do you want than that?!

And the goodies don't stop there. Included on the B' side of the tape is a copy of an old Mastertronic title -the ever so wonderful Rockman.

What more can I say? This is an excellent value package, and as it's only £2.99 there's no need to dig deep into your financial standing. Not quite a mega game, but pretty damn near. Rock me Mastertronic.

Boulderdash clone with plenty of challenge, plus the very welcome inclusion of Rockman on the "B" side for free. Get it!

Tony Worrall

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