Zzap


Sleepwallker
By Zeppelin Games
Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Zzap #80

Sleep Walker

Wakey, wakey! Don't go to sleep yet, 'cause this is a goodie! The novel concept involves following your sleepwalking Uncle Silas around his dilapidated house, making sure he doesn't wake.

You guessed it, the many rooms are littered with footballs and bricks to trip over, falling chandeliers, noisy ghetto blasters, alarm clocks, skateboards and tacks. Then there's the really dangerous stuff like raw electric cables, holes in the floor and sticks of dynamite!

And how do you stop Silas bumping into these? Do you carefully clear them away? No such luck. You have to step into them yourself to get battered, electrocuted or blown up! Each of these consequences is excellently animated and accompanied by good sound effects - I especially like the hopping around after treading on tacks, and dynamite blowing you to a pile of ashes.

Sleep Walker

Lucky old Silas doesn't suffer as much - when he bumps into a hazard he just briefly yawns before returning to his slumber. Trouble is, he can only do this a number of times before he wakes up for good, causing mental trauma - and game over. Within the time limit you have to guide him back to bed by standing in his way to make him change direction - though the stupid somnambulist has a mind of his own and seems intent on heading straight for the hazards!

Of course you have to find the old git first; the house is huge with several floors. It can be frustrating when you lose track of him and he keeps bumping into things - an on-screen map would've been helpful.

Nonetheless, it's all great fun in a masochistic sort of way, even though most of the entertainment is from the humorous 'special effects' rather than the game itself.