C&VG


William Wobbler
By Wizard Computer Games
Commodore 64/128

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #50

William Wobbler

Confusion hit the C&VG reviews department when Tony Crowther's new game arrived. Is it an adventure? Is it an arcade game?! Because we couldn't make up our minds. We asked Veronica Campbell - KC's daughter - to tell us what she thought. Veronica has played adventures and arcade games. Surely she'll know...

"It was the title that first intrigued me. It sounded likely to be a goody, especially as it was not sci-fi and because it is an arcade adventure which saves all that typing. And, if you crack it, you could win £1,000!

The theme music plays throughout and, together with the excellent display, put me in a good frame of mind right from the word go. The tune was catchy, and did not get on my nerves as much as it might have done, because, quite honestly, I liked it (My Dad is trying to whistle it now!).

William Wobbler

It is the type of tune you feel proud to have playing when you're on the phone, as people will think what a groovy computer you've got!

The graphics are good. You control a comical worm who bobs up and down, jumps down craters and gets chased by a fag-ash Lil type of character with a club.

As soon as I started playing I was rushing around trying to find all the location to get really into it. At first I found this exciting - with red snakes and flying frogs were coming at me from all directions.

But soon I got into a rut and could do no more. I had found a key but could not reach it, nor had I managed to find a use for glowing orb. I was a tenth of the way towards the £1,000 prize! However, as I hadn't discovered how to open the locked doors I couldn't get any further.

The game did not play like an Adventure, but seemed very much like one from the packaging. I am told that there are clues in the cover picture, and in the cryptic poem on the back.

The cover shows pictures of castles, magic wands, frogs and snakes, which are all Adventure items. However, the game is definitely more arcade than adventure, since considerable joystick skills are required before you can hope to succeed in unravelling the clues!