Commodore User


Slinky

Publisher: Audiogenic
Machine: Commodore 64

 
Published in Commodore User #8

Slinky

A third from Cosmi, and it's Paul Norman again (he did the C64 version, someone called Vance Kozik gets the credit for the original). And it's better than Forbidden Forest.

Here, the applause doesn't go so much on the clever graphics and scene-setting effects: it's more because of the novelty of the game itself, the way it requires some intellectual skill from the player as well as mere reflexes and joystick dexterity, and the author's evident sense of humour.

Novelty? You're controlling one of those metal spiral executive-toy things that will walk down stairs. You're on a grid (looks very good, very 3D) and you have to touch every square. Apart from the black holes, which return you to the start position at the top left corner. When you touch a square (and only diagonal movements on the joystick will work!) it changes colour, so you have to alter the colour of all the squares on the grid. Easy, huh?

Slinky

You start with 25,000 points and you lose some every time you hit a square - though there's a bonus if you land on one of the randomly flashing squares. You lose more points if you're dirty when you're hopping, and you get dirty by bumping into an occasional dust cloud called Dusty. There's another hazard that appears randomly, a passing magnet called Marge. Then there's Ralph the Random Raindrop; if you're clean and it hits you, you can move faster. But if you're dirty you rust, so you get hauled off by Oil Can Charlie and you lose a life - you also lose a life if you jump off the edge.

Sense of humour? When you get through each stage there's a daft 'cartoon featurette' - which starts with an explosion of flags, fireworks and hip-hip-hoorays generally to the 1812 Overture. If you get through without losing a life (you start with five) there's a fun 'instant replay' of your moves.

Then there's stage two, where the squares change colour every time you touch them - so jump back onto a square and it reverts. The hazard this time is a species of lunatic vice (no, not that kind of vice). Up another level and it's Lorenzo the cube-hopper, an irritating little bug who follows you and will dump you off the grid when it catches you. Thereafter successive levels feature different combinations of these.

This game has the lot. It's different, it looks very good, the progressive increase in difficulty and variety of hazards maintains the interest, it requires some care and some skill while at the same time retaining that important element of luck (usually bad)... In short, it engages the sense. Is that too heavy a judgement? Well, try it for yourself. No apologies for the top marks - it's the best game we've seen so far this year!