The magic of print, eh? In just a few words
we can all be transported back to the days
of Speccy history without any of that 3D
light-field malarkey. See? We're here
already. The reason for this little trip is to
take a look at one of the classlest classics
of all. It is of course
Manic Miner, that
never-bettered platform leap-about. The
plot behind the game is that Miner Willy,
Surbiton's noted spelunker, has tumbled
down a mineshaft. Far beneath the Earth,
he discovers the remnants of an ancient
civilization. Well, money and mining robots
actually. He has to dodge the robots and
grab the cash in order to open the portal to
the next cavern, ultimately returning to the
surface with a dusty head and a fat bank
account. Capital, isn't it? Now if you hold
on tight we'll flip back to the present day,
just in time to greet the SAM incarnation of
that very same game. And knock me
senseless with a pig on a stick if it's not a
corker as well.
Updating the graphics and soundtrack,
but intelligently retaining the pixel-perfect
timing that made the original so agonisingly
addictive, SAM
MM comprises three sets of
twenty screens each. Unlike the Speccy
version you don't get a preview of the
levels at the beginning of the game. This
means that each new screen is a surprise;
and quite often a nasty one, as the
designers have been commendably
devious. Cutting to the quick, SAM
MM is a
super game. The pretty graphics, funky
music and jaunty FX are well matched by
the viciously addictive gameplay. Such a
combination is hard to beat, which funnily
enough sums up the game as a whole.
Stump up and get stuck in.
| Ratings given by other magazines |
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| Info supplied by the SPOT*ON database |
