Personal Computer News


Stunt Bike

Categories: Review: Software
Author: Mike Gerrard
Publisher: Ocean
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Personal Computer News #089

STUNT BIKE

A new Ocean game is always worth looking at, and the last few have been worth buying. But the standard drops with Stunt Bike, which is a not very exciting attempt to let you play wheelies.

There is a revving noise but it's tame stuff, sounding more like a contented cat, while in the background there is a plodding tune of the type designed to have you tearing your hair out. The sound on/off option turns the bike sound off but the music drives you batty.

You use joystick or keyboard to move your man around the screen, and there's a promise of nine screens in total, displayed for you in a demo mode if you wait a wee while.

Stunt Bike

With four bikes at your disposal you must make your way round the first screen collecting all the flags and avoiding the obstacles before your fuel runs out, though you have a generous 100 units so there's little chance of that. Once you've collected the last flag the gate to the next screen opens, and off you rev looking for further hazards. Pressing the fire button or space bar allows you to do a wheelie, but otherwise control is just accelerate/decelerate and left/right.

You need your wheelie at once to jump the gap from the first platform to the second one, where a flag is standing, and a little experimentation shows you need to take this at 30 mph to avoid falling short or hitting the top of the screen. Your speed (maximum 40), fuel, lives, score, high-score and which gear you're in (up to third only) are all shown at the foot at the screen.

You bump down some barrels to the second flag, making a sharp turn to avoid the pecking chickens, then slowly drive down the screen's platforms (you can fall, but not too far) till all the flags but one have been collected.

You must wheelie up a ramp, over a traffic warden and two more pesky chickens, to land on the other side where the flag is. But if you take it at 35 mph you land on the chickens, while at 40 you can hit the flag and see the gate to the next screen flash open, only to lose your life when your bike hits the deck.

Despite seeing only one screen, I was disappointed with the game as the graphics are very simply done, and with no sound to speak of Stunt Bike is hardly a stunner.

Mike Gerrard

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