The Magic Roundabout

ZX Computing

Instructions 90%

Addictability 85%

Graphics 80%

Value For Money 90%

ZXC Factor 7/10

David Harwood 7/10

Remember that t.v. programme just before the 5.40 news that everyone had to watch? This game is based on the series that was loved by millions. The atmosphere is recreated in the enchanted garden as Dougal (the dog) is busily trying to build a home before it is time for bed. You, as Dougal, go around the garden collecting lumps of sugar to construct a house at the magic toadstool. Dougal has the option to either push the lumps to the toadstool or eat them, as these lumps provide the energy. If his energy becomes low, then Dougal will fall asleep. But the adventure does not stop there. You will also encounter all the other characters that captured the hearts of millions. Brian, Mr. McHenry, Basil, Florence, Zebedee, Ermintrude, Dylan, Mr. Rusty and the revolving Magic Roundabout. If Dougal touches any of these characters then a life will be lost, but they will all move away, apart from the Magic Roundabout, if Dougal barks at them. Zebedee has the annoying habit of appearing at random intervals causing a life to be lost. Although the graphics are not too clear, with much character bleeding when overlapping occurs, the fantasy and theme music overcome this grumble quite easily. A must for all Magic Roundabout lovers.

Sinclair Programs

Rating 55%

June Mortimer 55%

PRICE: £5.95 Dougal's dreams have come true. Sugar has been scattered over the Magic Garden. So much sugar, in fact, that Dougal has decided to build himself a little sugar house. He collects the sugar together before others in the garden can eat it, avoids touching the others, and then moves on to the next level. As the game becomes harder, the other characters begin to eat the sugar faster, and the only way to keep enough of it is to load it onto the train. A non-violent game, this, for Dougal never dies, although he will be sent to bed if he bumps into other characters or does not eat enough sugar to keep him awake. Problems with the games, are the graphics, which blur into each other as two characters meet, the erratic movement of all characters except Dougal, and the sound, which produces an excruciatingly slow rendition of the Magic Roundabout theme tune. Produced for the 48K Spectrum by CRL, [redacted].

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

Graphics 7/10

Sound 5/10

Value 6/10

Playability 7/10

MACHINE: Spectrum 48k SUPPUER: CRL PRICE: £6.95 Dougal was in the Enchanted Garden of The Magic Roundabout. As always, he was trying to find some sugar lumps to eat, which someone had scattered over the ground. "Look", said Dougal. "Someone's left all this sugar around. It's just what I need to keep my strength up while I'm trying to build my house." Brian arrived. "Hello Dougal", he said. 'Hello Brian", said Dougal. "Don't touch me", said Brian, "or you'll lose a life. That's what happens in these computer games," "Pardon'?", said Dougal. "Do you mean that I can't touch anything that moves?" "Got it in one", said Brian. Mr McHenry shot past on his trike. "Can't touch me either", he panted. Ermintrude appeared, "Well, hello dears", she said "I hope you're all enjoying the game. Whoever drew me is pretty good with computer graphics." Dylan arrived, "Hey man, what's all this excitement?", he said. "Can't I get back to sleep?" Dougal appeared. "I don't know why you're so happy", he said to Ermintrude "you may have been drawn well but I look like a loo brush. And the screen scrolling is awful. Now, if you'll excuse me I've got a house build. And I'm almost out of sugar." Florence appeared. "Hello everyone", said Florence. "Hello Florence", said Dougal. "Are you in this game as well?" "Yes", said Florence. "Seems we all are." "I told CRL that I could have done some better sound effects for this game", said Dylan, "but they wouldn't listen. Now hear what they've done to it. It's awful." "Bother! ", said Dougal, rushing past, "I'm out of sugar and I've used up all my lives. I bet the game will end now." He heard a springing sound, and looked up. "Time for bed", said Zebedee.

Sinclair User

Gilbert Factor 5/10

Clare Edgeley 5/10

TIME FOR BED, SAID ZEBEDEE Memory: 48K Price: £6.95 Joystick: Protek, Kempston, AGF In The Magic Roundabout, from CRL, Dougal and the gang are still playing om the Magic Garden where Dougal's aim is to build a house of sugar before bedtime. He has to collect lumps of sugar dotted around the garden and dump them at the Magic Mushroom - resembling a deformed flower - where a train will appear to transport them to his house. Sprite characters make up the graphics and although they are a faithful copy of the original characters the movements are slow and jerky. Not a game to start the adrenalin flowing - in fact it will continue to course sluggishly through your veins - it is great nevertheless to see that Dougal and friends are still around, even if they have been incarcerated in RAM for posterity.

Read it at Sinclair User Magazine Online

Crash

Use of Computer 58%

Graphics 57%

Getting Started 52%

Playability 54%

Addictive Qualities 38%

Value For Money 45%

Overall 51%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: C.R.L. Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £5.95 Language: Machine code There was a time when Serge Danot's 'Magic Roundabout' was almost compulsory viewing on BBC in the late afternoon. The simple stories told in that quiet, matter of fact voice just worked. With computer game versions of telly series all the rage at the moment, it comes as no surprise to see Magic Roundabout appearing The title screen contains all the well known figures from the series like Brian the snail, Mr. McHenry, Basil, Florence, and scrolls to keep Dougal in the middle. Apart from sugar lumps, there are the familiar red trees, and of course Dougal's other friends from the enchanted garden. If he bumps into any of his friends, however, he loses a life, and after three, it's time for bed. COMMENTS Control keys: A/Z up/down, N/M left/right, SPACE bark/eat sugar Joystick: Kempston, AGF, Protek Keyboard play: responsive, well laid out, but positioning Dougal can be fussy Use of colour: reasonable Graphics: average, but characteristic of the original Sound: very little, poor attempt at tune Skill levels: 1 Lives: 3 Screens: scrolling

Your Computer

Overall 2/5

48K Spectrum £6.95 CRL Twee little game in which Dougal must build a house before it is time for bed. He does this by pushing sugar lumps around and occasionally eating them to keep his strength up. Dylan the Rabbit and the other magic garden types hurt Dougal's nose if he bumps into them. Good idea, but could have been implemented much better.

Personal Computer News

Overall 7/10

Bryan Skinner 7/10

PRICE: £6.95 PUBLISHER: CRL [redacted] Games for micros are borrowing increasingly from other forms of the media. The latest of these is CRL's The Magic Roundabout, in which you control Dougal, trying to build a home before it's time for bed. Dougal has to keep up his strength, so as he shoves sugar about he also has to eat some of the many white blocks scattered around. The sugar has to be loaded onto a train, which will transport 12 lumps from the platform to the Magic Toadstool. Hazards include most of the other MR characters - Florence, Brian et al - who float round the forest, but who can be deterred with a quick bark. Contact with them damages Dougal's delicate nose and in the process you lose one of your three lives. The graphics aren't at all bad. Dougal's shown as a large yellow character, made up from six or eight UDGs. The animation's very smooth, but he does look odd sliding sideways, up, or down the screen. The action takes place on a blue background, dotted with many red trees, which scrolls jerkily as Dougal approaches the limits of the current screen. There are a few attribute problems, such as when Dougal passes behind or in front of the trees, but overall it is good. Toggling F turns on the 'music', a staccato rendition of a vaguely familiar air, but I couldn't quite work out what. A two-tone goes when Dougal's immediately next to a sugar lump, indicating he can eat it or push it. It's very handy, but the bark's ineffectual. There are a few good touches, such as the way the sugar bag at bottom right waxes and wanes as an energy gauge, and Dougal turns to bark at you if you're careless enough to lose him a life (nose?). Far from an arcade addict's taste, The Magic Roundabout is more for the younger user. But the game's not as easy as it sounds. It can be tricky piling sugar to shove, barking at or dodging Mr McHenry and his pals, rushing to make the train, keeping an eye on the sugar bag and hoping Zebedee won't appear with his favourite phrase.