Personal Computer News


Drelbs

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Bob Chappell
Publisher: U. S. Gold
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Personal Computer News #091

DRELBS

Another US import, Drelbs is a rather strange affair. It's faintly similar to the old Pencil and Paper game where you must join up the four sides of a box to claim it for your own. Here the dots are replaced with a series of gates which turn through 90 degrees when you bump into them.

The aim is the same: close up four gates to create a square. When you have, a pulsating box appears and up goes your score. The create doing all this gate-crashing is Drelb, a sort of winking-eye on legs, which you control with joystick only.

As you would expect, things are not that simple. Patrolling round the maze of gates are two nasties, both of which are graphically simple. One is a fat, snake-like whatsit and the other is a box with a face. Stunningly imaginative, eh?

Drelbs

Contact with either of the nasties is fatal to your Drelb - though he does have several lives. He has no weapon and can defend himself by dodging or trapping the enemy temporarily by closing a box round it.

Any box containing a tapped nasty is represented by a large-size, immobile version of the nasty's face. Your own boxes may stop glowing and change to represent a leering Phizzog. Bashing into a box which is in this condition is bad for the Drelb's health.

And that's about it really. Dodge the meanies and join up the boxes. There may be better things on the higher levels but boredom sets in early and you may not feel inclined to persist.

Movement is smooth but the graphics are pretty mundane and make the game look almost prehistoric by today's standards. Not one of US Gold's better imports compared to some of its winners.

Bob Chappell

Other Reviews Of Drelbs For The Commodore 64


Drelbs (US Gold)
A review by A.W. (Home Computing Weekly)

Drelbs (US Gold)
A review by Steve Cooke (Personal Computer Games)

Drelbs (US Gold)
A review

Other Commodore 64 Game Reviews By Bob Chappell


  • Planetfall Front Cover
    Planetfall
  • Cad Cam Warrior Front Cover
    Cad Cam Warrior
  • See-Saw Front Cover
    See-Saw
  • Blockbusters Front Cover
    Blockbusters
  • Hustler Front Cover
    Hustler
  • Henry's House Front Cover
    Henry's House
  • Hexpert Front Cover
    Hexpert
  • Witchswitch Front Cover
    Witchswitch
  • Rox Front Cover
    Rox
  • Strontium Dog & The Death Gauntlet Front Cover
    Strontium Dog & The Death Gauntlet