Bouncing Bert

ZX Computing

Nick Pearce

ZX81 SOFT SELECTION Nick Pearce is back with some more new '81 Software. The last Software Farm game for the ZX81 reviewed in these pages featured high resolution graphics. Normal ZX81 graphics for Bouncing Bert, but the display and animation are very good nevertheless. The program requires 16K of RAM. Bouncing Bert is not the usual pinman, but a substantial character who can move forwards, backwards, and can jump. The object of the game is to guide him from platform to platform to collect some keys and return them to the start. There are three keys to collect in all, and there are plenty of hazards to trap the intrepid Bert, including weeds and deathly skulls. An interesting aspect to this game is that everything from Bert to the skulls and weeds is on a large scale. This means that only a small part of the game can be seen on screen at any time. This makes it difficult to plan a route to the keys and only after a number of attempts after which the course is "learnt" is success likely. Bouncing Bert is an enjoyable game, and good use is made of the ZX81 graphics for the display and animation. Available from Software Farm, [redacted].