Amstrad Computer User


Fast Food

Publisher: Codemasters
Machine: Amstrad CPC464/664/6128

 
Published in Amstrad Computer User #54

Fast Food

What sort of motorbikes do eggs dread? Scramblers! Ho, ho, ho, hem, sorry about that! As you may have guessed, that awful joke (or yolk as we may say!) was the lead in for the next game featuring that most infamous of all the salmonella threats, Dizzy. Fast Food, though, is very different from the other Dizzy games in the respect that it isn't an arcade adventure, nor does it offer in depth puzzles. In fact all of these are thrown out of the window in the attempt to do something a lot more down to earth.

'Education' is a big word isn't it, and, according to CodeMasters, it is also a very big seller and games that are more suited to kiddies are very profitable indeed. This latest one is a perfect example of what can be done, and is a sure winner to get the younger members of the Amstrad using population to manoeuvre a joystick (thus eventually weening them onto the more violent games, no doubt!).

The idea and plot is very simple and leaves more to the imagination, which in a child (or reviewer) can be highly amusing. All you have to do is guide our little egg friend around the basic maze, whilst scoffing vast amounts of unhealthy comestibles. To stop this being a totally easy task, there are many factors that can get in the way, and even a few which can help.

Fast Food

Monsters are a feature which is added after the first few levels and they chase you in the style of the ghosts in Pac-Man, also the food starts to move on the harder screens and runs away from Dizzy in a rather athletic fashion. There are icons to collect which appear on the screen at random and these can spread the action up, slow it down or do other beneficial things, and several other additions into the game all make it that more interesting for the slightly older player.

Although this may sound far too simple for many people, parents should take note. Fast Food is a great game for youngsters because it is so mindbogglingly basic. The bright colourful graphics and plinky-plonk music makes the game very attractive to watch and hear, and the action gets progressively harder, going from a ridiculously stupid level to one that proves too difficult even for the programmers.

One final note is that the more macho of readers who would prefer not to visit the lesser levels can start on any level up to 20 (out of 30!) in order to ovoid boring themselves. Also, at the poultry sum of two pounds and ninety nine shiny pennies, Fast Food will not break many schools or families on the budget scale.