Parabola

Sinclair User

Overall 3/10

Tamara Howard 3/10

Label: Firebird Price: £1.99 Joystick: various Memory: 48K/128K Reviewer: Tamara Howard The cosmic energy grid is a mean place. It's sort of square shaped, with lots of little squares inside, and getting across it is a difficult business, especially if you're a service droid with a defective bounce. Parabola is a game with a lot of square things, some round things, and a thing that bounces up and down a lot. It's a really exciting game, as you can imagine. The action takes place on individual squares of the energy grid. Which are sub-divided into squares. Old Brucie has to bounce across this square, picking up some things and avoiding other things, thus reaching the exit and, you've guessed it the next square. Anyway, all these squares aside, there are, as I said, some found buts as well, some of which are good, and some of which are bad. The good ones are the whirly things, which are energy discs, and Bruce has to collect all the discs on a square before he can leave. But watch out for the non-whirly ejector pads. I'm terribly impressed by Parabola. Springy androids are all very well, and this is a springy android with at least some measure of cuteness about him. He bounces up and down nicely, his spring appears to bend in an authentic sort of way. He even makes twangs when he hits the ground. Unless my copy of Parabola is strange and I'm totally misjudging it. Parabola is not really up to scratch. It's too hard to move about the grid, and the rewards are not worth the effort. OK, so the screen flashes lots of pretty colours at you when you get through a square, and you get some bonus points and there's lots of twangy sounds like lots of little Bruce's all jumping up and down in glee, but so what? Sorry Firebird, but this one's a dodo.

Your Sinclair

Graphics 8/10

Playability 8/10

Value For Money 9/10

Addictiveness 9/10

Overall 8/10

Gwyn Hughes 8/10

Firebird £1.99 Reviewer: Gwyn Hughes The hero of this game, Bouncing Bruce, may look more like Bert - Q Bert, that is - from the screen shots, but don't be misled, because there are bits of Thing On A Spring and other goodies packed away in this program. Ignore the nonsense about service droids stranded on cosmic energy grids and get down to business, which is clearing a series of interlinked screens of energy discs, avoiding guards and trying not to stray onto the deadly ejection discs unless you want to fly like a bird and float like a lead balloon. Each screen consists of a 3D pathway, littered with perils to dodge and discs to collect before you can use the way out. This leads to a map, from which you choose the next area to clear as you head for the main exit, located somewhere in the south. The secret of clearing single screens is patience. Pressing fire increases your bounce, which helps you jump some hazards, but don't rush on immediately and spring too far or you'll be out of the frying pan, only to singe your parabolics in the fire. The real test comes in tracing a path through the main map. You're never sure what lies in store as you stray into a new square. There's some repetition, especially at the more difficult levels, where the map becomes bigger, but you'll also find some nasty surprises, particularly towards the end. If you lose a life, you're allowed to choose a new path, which may be the best course of action. Parabola isn't the most difficult game you'll ever play, nor is it the most original, but as a variation on an old theme it should certainly put a bit of spring in your joystick!

Read it at Your Sinclair Rock'n'Roll Years

Crash

Presentation 73%

Graphics 70%

Playability 57%

Addictive Qualities 54%

Value For Money 66%

Overall 63%

Ben Stone

Mike Dunn

Paul Sumner

Producer: Firebird Retail Price: £1.99 Author: J Bond Bouncing Bruce, the well-known droid on a spring, is caught in a multi-sectored cosmic energy grid - and he wants to escape from every level. Surrounded by the black oblivion of space, each sector is composed of blocks, set at different heights and forming a grid. Bruce can move up to three blocks at a time, in straight lines (he can't move diagonally, though). Controlling Bruce, you can decide the height of each bounce and move him up to higher levels of the grid. Some grid squares contain rotating energy discs: when he lands on one Bruce collects the disc and scores points. And when he's picked up all the discs in each sector, bouncing boy can move on to the next. But Bruce is hindered by danger blocks - squares with circular election devices force him upward so he crashes, moving guards can shatter his delicate frame, and direction blocks propel him in the wrong direction. To avoid these threats - and save his eight lives - Bruce must bounce up and over them. COMMENTS Control Keys: definable Joystick: Kempston, Interface 2 Use of colour, very clever, touches well employed Graphics: reasonable sprites, good 3D effect Sound: above average Skill levels: one