Everygamegoing


The Micro Bugs

Author: Dave E
Publisher: Sherston Software
Machine: BBC Model B

The Micro Bugs

The Micro Bugs aims to excite the imagination of every geeky child by offering them the chance to "enter their computer". Yes, long before Beat Sabre and VR headsets, 80's children could experience near-total immersion in their schoolroom-based BBC B by reading a short story and then playing The Micro Bugs.

And, well, yes, this is actually a very weird game indeed. If you load it up without reading any instructions, you'll likely think something's gone wrong for at least the first five seconds. That's because the idea is that the computer has been infected due to your school's science teacher hooking it up to a demon modem. As the story explains, there's only one way to make it work normally again - you'll have to enter it and fix the bugs.

What this means in practice is a succession of puzzles, some easy and some very fiddly, all threaded together with a computer-based theme. Unfortunately, navigating from one puzzle to the next is somewhat tedious and the tasks themselves don't really seem to know what they are. Even I even found this game confusing... at age 43!

I will give it praise for one thing however. I'm pretty sure its author must have been a fan of Kubrik's The Shining, because these two robots are just as creepy as the twins from that masterpiece.

Come play with us forever and ever and ever...

Dave E

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