Previous Next

Whirlinurds is one of the latest releases from US Gold, who have a reputation for quality Atari software. This is no exception. The plot behind the game is that the four Nurd brothers have run out of food and decide to raid their friend's house, a greengrocer called Squelch.

He is on holiday and has boobytrapped his house and the Nurds have to avoid the traps and eat all the food.

Whirlinurds is basically a game of exploring rooms, avoiding traps and getting prizes. It may sound all too familiar but is in fact significantly different from other such games. It is for one to four players who can work individually or as teams.

It consists of 50 rooms, each with a different set of problems or traps. You can start at the beginning of any block of ten rooms by selecting A-E at the start. However, the last ten rooms are known as the Ultimate Feast and can only be entered by means of a password. This is gleaned in four parts by completing each of the previous groups of ten rooms, and is not easy.

Each room covers an area equivalent to about six screens, and the area shown on the screen scrolls very smoothly as you approach the edge.

You can imagine 50 rooms like this mean that the game is big and will not be exhausted quickly.

Your man is a Nurd, a squat plump figure with a stupid grin and a propeller stuck out of his head. The four players are known respectively as Haymish Pupkin, Naples Yertz, Hooseby Nurd and Melvin Lugby. They are identical apart from the colour of their shirts.

The control of your Nurd is quite novel. When walking, it is standard - he will walk left when the joystick is pushed left, and right when the joystick is pushed right. However when the trigger is pressed the propeller starts to rotate and your Nurd will begin to rise.

If you release the trigger or if he hits a wall or platform, he will begin to descend slowly and will not rise again until he has had his feet on firm ground.

He does have an emergency super leap which can be obtained by pushing the stick up. This is called a retro boost. You get only one leap per screen or life and here lies a small problem.

It is far too easy to accidentally use this leap in the excitement of play and jump straight into disaster or at the least be deprived of it for later use.

Your main is manoeuvred around the room collecting food. Strange creatures. Nurds - they eat anything from pizzas to light bulbs and bicycles.

The walls, platforms and floors are safe to land on or bump into, but anything flashing is deadly. These hazards are exotically named and include slinky snakes, bug eyes, jump bugs, globs, spudniks and the Nipple of Death.

In addition, there are keys which can be used to unlock closed-off areas of the rooms, but beware - they can also unleash further hazards. Small boxes on the floor known as blast squares will give you the same effect as a super leap, but also use up your ability to perform these at will.

The graphics are very good, it not spectacular, especially the Nurds. They turn slowly in a 3D effect on changing direction. The sound effects are also good and add considerably to the feel of the game.

The background music especially adds to the excitement. As the time limit for each room runs out the music gradually quickens, instilling a sense of urgency in your play.

There is also a second level in which the rooms are invisible, except for the flashing obstacles. The Nurd has a torch illuminating only a small area around him.

Whirlinurds is certainly well worth the price of £9.95 or £12.95 on disc. It is novel and has a definite goal to achieve which I feel always keeps a game's interest alive. I certainly don't think I'll tire of this quickly.

Some of the rooms are extremely difficult and will keep even the most experienced player occupied.