GA Bobker, he of the many
Speccy utilities, has turned his
talents to the SAM. Among his
Coupe releases sits this rather
interesting game. Remember
Brainsport, that funky covertape
game of a few months ago?
You had to move barrels
around a maze and into some holes, being
careful not to trap the barrels up against the
walls.
Well,
Beetle Mania is
Brainsport all over
again, except this time with an insect in the
title role. The game's still as fun as ever,
requiring loads of tiny but perfect pokes at
the control keys (no joystick option - it's not
sensitive enough) as you manoeuvre the
barrels all over the place. The presentation
on the game is not that good, to put it
politely. The graphics are very Speccy-like,
and my version didn't load at all in 512K
mode. However, to make up for it, there are
a couple of really nice features. There are
no baddies, or time limits - you keep
plugging away at a screen until you beat it.
Also, you can jump straight to any of the
fifty levels.
There's a lot of lasting appeal in this
game. I've got completely stuck on level
three, so it should sell well to people who
like a challenge. Sadly, the one
gripe I've got is a major one.
For what it is, the game is
massively overpriced. Even
with that one pound
discount. And that really is a
shame.