Commodore User
1st December 1984Eddie Kidd's Jump Challenge
The list of celebrities now endorsing computer games seems never ending.
At the last count, we had Rolf Harris, Tony Hart, Lee Majors, the Strangler, Thompson Twins, Shakin' Stevens, the entire crew from Dallas and Roland Rat.
So it comes as no surprise that stuntbike rider Eddie Kidd should want to jump on the bandwagon.
Eddie was at the Personal Computer World show in September in all his gear, signing autographs, and assuring all and sundry that he was really "into" computer games.
The fact that Eddie was brought in for his name alone matters not a jot as the game is an excellent one with some really impressive graphics.
The idea of the game is to successfully jump as far as possible and maintain control of the bike on landing.
Before you can attempt the classic Eddie Kidd leap over several cars you must first clear a row of oil barrels.
The bike and the rider are controlled separately so that the computer is acting as the motorbike and you are actually riding it.
The function keys provide the gear controls - F1 first, F3 second, F5 third, and F7 fourth. The Commodore key causes the bike to swerve to one side at low speed or can be used to abort a jump at the last moment if you judge that your speed is not sufficient to clear the obstacles.
The key to success in the jump game is to judge the speed accurately to get safely over the obstacle.
Eddie can be made to stand, lean forward, crouch down, or lean back in order to balance his bike.
The most exciting part of the game is when you take off and sail through the air, watching those cars cruise past beneath you. If you should clip the last one, Eddie falls and the bike spins hopelessly out of control as brakes squeal and you can hear metal hitting metal.
Apart from the jumps it is also possible to attempt other stunts - such as wheelies. To do a wheelie you simply build up speed and pull back on the joystick to make Eddie pull the handlebars up.
Although the graphics are tremendous, I'm not sure there is enough of a lasting challenge to this game. That slight worry aside, it is still bound to be a great hit with Eddie Kidd fans.