Oh my God! Amtix! gave this game 91%? Why??? Anyway, in this game, you play a tennis ball who is constantly bouncing up the screen, and you have to move him around between bounces so he lands on nice stuff like grass, and avoids bad stuff like spikes. And that’s about it, really! This game has many levels, but I only ever get to level 2, before I turn it off through sheer frustration. The graphics are pretty abysmal, especially if you have a green monitor (is that grass or spikes? Oh, spikes. I’m dead...) , the difficulty is absurd, but to its credit, it has a nice little ditty of a theme song, and – though I hate to say it – it is strangely addictive. Also, you’ve got to love Bounder himself. He’s a cute little guy!
The sequel to Miner 2049er (which wasn’t released for the CPC) involves Bounty Bob on a mission to claim the rights to 25 newly discovered mines. To do this, Bob must walk over every platform and carry out carefully timed jumps to reach the others. Objects are scattered around that aid Bob. Collecting one allows Bob to stamp on the nasties that live in the mines. There are also slides, tubes and cannons that propel you to hard-to-reach platforms, but a careful plan is needed if you wish to complete a screen. Average graphics that work, all running at a comfortable speed, and adequate sound effects. It looks easy, but to win this challenge, you will need to use your brain.
The Bounty Hunter
(Code Masters, 1989)
Four outlaws – Jack Nickalot, Charles Bronkon, Clint Westwood and Kodak – are on the loose, and you’re out to capture them, dead or alive. There’s a bounty on each of these criminals’ heads! Each level consists of three parts. In the first part, you’re on foot, shooting Indians, cowboys and Mexican bandits. In the second part, you’re on horseback trying to stop a train carrying the outlaw, and if you succeed, you go on to the third part – a one-on-one shoot-out between you and the outlaw. The graphics are colourful and well drawn, and the music is good as well. Unfortunately it’s quite difficult; you can’t fire horizontally, and the enemy characters have an annoying habit of walking straight into you, which loses you one of your three lives – and you should have more than that.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Xyphoe.
Boy Racer
(Alligata, 1987)
The car you’re driving in this game isn’t any ordinary car – not only is it equipped with bullets, but it can also fly. Speeding along the highway, you must dodge or shoot your opponents who are driving towards you; they must have no fear! The highway weaves in and out and branches into two at certain points. The graphics are OK, although I don’t like the tune that plays on the menu. Your opponents are far too difficult to miss, and shooting them often has no effect.
Brainache
(Code Masters, 1987)
Can you guide Brainache (otherwise known as Private Harry Jones) through the Stella mines to retrieve his mining equipment and the Anatese diamond and bring them back to the spaceship one at a time? It’s going to be a perilous mission, since the mine is full of deadly plants and creatures. This is a dull game which only has one level. The graphics are poor and there is a lot of flicker, and the scrolling between screens is slow as well, but the worst thing about the game is that the mutated insects that you will encounter are very difficult to both shoot and avoid, and it’s very frustrating indeed. The music on the menu is the only worthy aspect of this mediocre game.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
ChinnyVision.
Brainstorm
(Firebird, 1987)
The name suggests that this game is going to seriously hurt your brain, and it will! There are 26 screens, each containing areas of different colours. A ball bounces around the screen, and you must manoeuvre three coloured lines using a cursor so that the ball is trapped in a red area of the screen, where you will score points. If the ball enters a purple area, however, you will lose points, and if it enters a green area, it will warp to another area of the screen. To go to the next screen, you must have more points than when you started the screen. It’s frustrating at first, but if you’re smart, you can easily find ways to trap the ball. I don’t know what other people will think, but I love this game to bits!
Based on the awesome 80s cartoon show of the same name, Bravestarr is a truly awesome game. The story goes that your master, Shaman, has been captured by the evil Tex Hex, and you must get him back. Apart from flying around on your hover-jet shooting bad guys, you can visit various locales, grill the regulars, learn clues to Tex Hex’s whereabouts, and so on. The graphics are very colourful and detailed, the sound is excellent (there’s even an attempt at the show’s theme tune!), and the game is hugely fun, mixing several genres successfully. My only gripe is the game’s length – it’s very short (I finished it in around ten minutes!), but that doesn’t matter because you’ll play it again and again!
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
ChinnyVision.
Braxx Bluff
(Amsoft, 1985)
Three explorers went to the planet of Prolon, but their rover vehicle has run out of power and is stranded in Braxx Bluff, and its life support systems are failing slowly. Your mission is to find and rescue them. The gameplay consists of several stages, all of which are presented in 3D, with fairly crude graphics to represent the landscape. On some stages, you will hear a signal which indicates if you are heading in the right direction. Some stages also see you fending off Krittas, who will attack you or drain the rover of power. The sound effects are very basic and the graphics are very crudely drawn, yet in spite of this, the 3D effect works rather well. However, the major annoyances with this game are that if you make a mistake, the game usually ends instantly instead of giving you another chance, and the final stage is also extremely difficult to complete.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Xyphoe.
You’re on a mission – drive like mad through enemy territory and reclaim technology that has fallen into the wrong hands. What you get is a small game area that block-scrolls, with plain-looking visuals. This coin-op conversion is a rushed effort of dodging, shooting or jumping over whatever approaches, combined with grubby-looking graphics. Collision detection is also in question at times which results in a very frustrating game experience and a lot of “game overs”. Not US Gold’s finest hour.
Brian Bloodaxe
(The Edge, 1985)
Brian Bloodaxe is a Viking who one day decided he would invade Britain. Having landed on its shores, you now have to guide Brian around 127 screens in his search for the Crown Jewels. Once you have found them, you must then find the Throne, and Brian will have conquered Britain! Unfortunately, this is an extremely difficult task. The collision detection is very unforgiving, and even a moderate fall from a platform can cost you one of your four lives. The layout of the rooms is quite confusing as well; several rooms have exits that don’t take you back to the place from where you entered the room! Although there is a weird and wonderful variety of enemies, the graphics are poor and the gameplay is so frustrating that most people will quickly give up.