Commodore User


Schizofrenia
By Quicksilva
Commodore 64

 
Published in Commodore User #26

Schizofrenia

Alphonse T Nurd works as a cleaner in the laboratory of Bogdan Schtunk (sounds like our deputy editor). Bodgan's something of a scientific genius and has devised a method of splitting people in two. A bit like Jeckyl And Hyde, but without the inconvenience of both being stuck in one body.

Nurd, being the meddling type, has managed to give himself the Schtunk treatment and has created Nurd 2 - his alter ego personified - who sets about creating havoc in the lab. Nurd 1, realising that Bogdan isn't going to be too happy about this, must, with your help, try to recombine with his double before he does too much damage.

There are five areas in the lab. I spent a good two hours getting through the first so let's start there. All you have to do is open the door to area two. Simple? I'm afraid not. First you have to climb the stairs and set the score control and timer switches. Then there are four doorbolts to be undone before pulling the release lever. This would be dead easy were it not for Nurd 2 who beetles around undoing all your hard work. Whilst you're busy undoing the bolts he's resetting the switches. So you fly up the stairs to the switches and he shoves the bolts back in. It's like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it.

If you manage to open the doors without developing mental problems of your own, you're confronted with similarly frustrating tasks in the following sections. Finally, area five gives you the chance to merge the Nurds in the recombination chamber.

Schizo is an infuriatingly addictive game and should provide a challenge for even the most accomplished players. One criticism. Nurd must be manipulated with tedious accuracy. One pixel either way and he misses bolts and buttons or worse, falls to his death. A bit more leeway would have made for a smoother flowing and fairer game.

Ken McMahon

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