Super Sam

ZX Computing

Graphics 3/5

Addictiveness 3/5

Overall 3/5

Budgie Software £2.50 An unusual plot here. The object is to explore the 34 rooms of a fortress and collect the 18 parts of a cage in which to catch the elusive Boris. This is complicated by misleading doorways which send you astray and potholes which are fatal. Added to this you have an energy level which drops on contact with one of the wandering beasties, when completely depleted you lose one of your three lives. On the positive side are syringes which make you invulnerable for a brief period. Options for joystick or to redefine keys are included and it features one of the most interesting loading systems I've yet seen. Again, this game has a charm of its own and I happily played away on it. the graphics are fairly good although slight flickering and attribute clashes are evident. The screens are well designed and provide a good challenge. Though essentially a maze dodge and collect game it is reasonable value for money and will provide a few hours of amusement.

Crash

Use of Computer 67%

Graphics 55%

Playability 47%

Getting Started 60%

Addictive Qualities 43%

Value For Money 40%

Overall 42%

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Producer: Budgie Memory Required: 48K Retail Price: £ Language: Machine code Author: R Stevenson & P Durbidge Alligata have decided to add to the proliferation of budget priced software by setting up a new software house, to be known henceforth as Budgie. The first two titles to be released fall into two categories: Super Sam is an arcade adventure while the second title, Convoy is a strategy game. Super Sam is set in the midst of a dark and forbidding castle. Confined within this fortress is a chap called Boris. Now Boris is a rather slippery character, and his capture is the object of the game. The only way Boris can be restrained is by trapping him in a cage, and you have a problem. The case needs to be assembled from eighteen component parts which are hidden within the castle waiting to be recovered. Most of the rooms within the castle are pretty straightforward having a backdrop, possibly with a door which may or may not be an exit. Nearly all of the rooms have manholes through which your man can fall to his death, unless it happens to be an entrance to a secret passage. Some of the other rooms look more like mazes, and in such rooms you may have to find a hidden path through a wall in order to get to an exit or an object. No matter where you are in the castle you will find yourself continuously being hampered by a wide range of little bods, some of which look very much like our flat hatted hero Sam would if he rode around in a pedal car. Others resemble police persons waving tickets or even top hatted gentlemen. Looks aside, all of these little chaps are a real pain: as you wander around trying to pick up bits of the cage, they will home in on you and if they succeed your energy will be drained. The energy bar at the top of the screen will decrease rapidly with collisions and each time it falls to zero you lose a life. When you have lost all three lives you have lost the game. There are some quicker ways of being killed falling down a manhole or walking into a booby-trapped room, for example. Don't worry though, it isn't all bad news. If you live long enough you may come across an object that will afford you some protection against the castle's inhabitants. You don't win or lose points in this game. Complete your task and you won't be rewarded with a score; instead the game keeps track of how long you take, so if you find that you have gone through a door that takes you outside the castle walls then you will have to get back in as quickly as you can. Unless of course having had a taste of life inside you would rather remain outside. COMMENTS Control keys: all definable Joystick: Kempston and any key dependent Keyboard play: poor response Use of colour: poor, all of the characters are in white, they still clash Graphics: very simple, below average, even at this price Sound: limited Skill levels: one Screens: 34

Can our her, SUPER SAM, penetrate the dark secrets of the castle and capture the evil slithery Boris? Would you want to?

Staying away from the holes isn't such a problem, but those peddle cars are such a pain, even for SUPER SAM. Eek!