Commodore User


Tarzan
By Martech
Commodore 64

 
Published in Commodore User #40

Tarzan

You must all be familiar with the story of Tarzan, abandoned in the African jungle as an infant to be raised by a family of apes. Martech's adventure concentrates on one particular episode of our hero's life.

The eyes of the rainbow are seven gemstones, part of the tribal shrine of the Wamabo tribe, stolen by a troupe of mischievous monkeys and scattered throughout the forest. The Wamabo's chief, Usanga, believes Tarzan to have stolen them and is holding Jane (Lady Jane Greystoke to you) hostage against the return of the stones.

Maddened by the theft of the stones, Usanga has given Tarzan just three days to return them, or he'll feed Jane to his pet panther at dusk of the third day. Thus your task unfolds. Take on the role of Tarzan, recover the stones and rescue Jane from a fate worse than 'Blind Date'.

Tarzan

Naturally, the jungle is not the healthiest of places to be. While roaming tigers (which on close inspection turned out to be cheetahs), venomous snakes, quicksand and afronted natives are no match for your raw strength, you will still need all the skills and instincts nature has fortunately bestowed upon you to complete your task.

Various objects are at your disposal, cunningly hidden in boxes in the jungle's undergrowth. Apart from the stones themselves, you are likely to find many objets that will help you on your quest. Some have only to be 'held' to be of use, while others need to be dropped where needed. For example, you will need to find the bullwhip before you are able to catch the rope and swing across the pit.

When you find a box containing a potentially useful item, an icon representing the contents is displayed at the bottom of the screen, the object can then be selected for use with a banana-shaped cursor. Also at the bottom of the screen is a green bar, slowly shrinking, which indicates the time left for the completion of your quest.

Visually, the jungle extends about five 'screens' to left and right of you while gaps in the foilage allow access to other jungle paths.

As the day/night cycle progresses, the screen colours alter, giving a realistic dusk and dawn effect.

Tarzan is reasonably agile (considering his age) and can turn somersaults, jump up and down and fight with the ferocity of a tiger with its tail on fire! Controlling Tarzan won't put too much strain on your joystick, or your brain. Simple combinations of button and direction are enough.

While Martech's graphics might leave something to be desired, they've really gone to town on the music. The jungle drums feature prominently throughout the game and sound is remarkably authentic. At the start of the game you are treated to a rendering of the original Tarzan theme tune (anyone know what it's called?) while at night the crickets start chirping, adding to the atmosphere considerably. I was quite content to sit and listen for a while.

Well, there you have it. Based on a classic, Martech's game will have instant appeal to young and old alike. Although the storyline has been fairly well thought out, I felt there just wasn't enough happening to hold my interest for very long. I've already mentioned the lack of scrolling, and the fact that jungle scenes all look very similar to one another.

Apart from that, I can't find anything to complain about. But I must admit that the game just didn't do anything for me. Don't be put off though, the music is excellent!

Fred Reid

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