The Brick
(Delta Software, 1989)
Of the many Breakout clones I have played, this ranks as one of the worst. Twenty levels are there to be played, but after a few minutes of playing the second level, you’ll switch off and play something else. It’s that old favourite, the indestructible brick, and on the second level, the other bricks are enclosed inside three walls of them so that it’s very difficult to reach them. In addition, the ball moves too slowly and the aliens that move about the screen get in the way. It would probably take hours to complete the second level! The graphics are terrible, too, and your bat is very difficult to see.
Another Breakout clone for the CPC. This offering is a very crude effort with nothing to hold your attention for very long. Single-coloured, bland-looking visuals mixed with the jerky movement of the bat and ball soon ruin all hope for this one. Collision detection is another issue, not to mention poor presentation and only one sound effect. Even the few power-ups on offer can’t save this one. It does have a high score table, though, but I doubt you’ll want to add your name to it.
Brick Rick
(Juan José Martínez, 2020)
Brick Rick thought it would be another normal day at work on the construction site, but instead it’s been invaded by aliens! Rick must stun all the aliens on each of the 50 stages, either by throwing bricks at them, or by pushing an alien that has already been stunned into them. There are several different types of alien; the walkers you’ll meet on the first few levels are fairly harmless, but you’ll soon encounter shooters, who are armed with laser blasters, and aliens flying around the screen in UFOs. You’re also up against the clock, and if you run out of time, a monster will appear and follow you around! This is a really nice little platform game with cute, colourful graphics and some very jolly tunes and jingles, and it’s great fun to play as well.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
Amstrad CPC World,
Saberman,
XeNoMoRPH.
It’s obvious at first glance who was behind this game – Viz Design, creators of the identical-looking Werewolves of London. In this similarly-themed game (which was later re-released by Code Masters as Frankenstein Jnr.), you play as Frankie’s fiancée and must search around the castle and its grounds, looking for your future husband’s brain, lungs and other organs which have somehow become scattered. Unlike the enjoyable Werewolves of London, you have no form of attack and must simply flee from the ghosts and skeletons which pursue you. And if they catch you, you’re screwed; you often can’t escape until you’re dead. Basically, the game is a boring maze, where you’re either fleeing or swapping keys around to open doors – yawn. Nice, colourful, cartoony graphics, though.
Bridge-It
(Amsoft, 1984)
Once you’ve seen this game, you’ll reckon it is one of the worst CPC games ever – it certainly isn’t anywhere close to being the best! There’s a walkway connecting two houses together, and you have to get as many of the little men as you can to walk from one house to the other by linking the walkways together at the right time. It is an extremely slow and boring game which is made all the worse by the terrible, irritating music (which mercifully can be switched off) and the horrible graphics.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Novabug.
British Super League
(Cult, 1990)
This is a football management game in which you are the manager of one of 16 teams competing in the British Super League, which consists of a mixture of teams from the English and Scottish leagues. It quickly becomes clear that it’s yet another poor game from Cult. There are no graphics worthy of the name; in the match highlights, the players are represented by asterisks, and big black boxes flash on the screen to show where the ball is being passed to. There are no detailed statistics for each player, so you can’t tell how good they are, and it’s not possible to find out how good players from other teams are, either. It is actually written in machine code, but it gives the impression that it’s written in BASIC, and as a result, it’s best that you avoid it.
Manny Lopez, leader of the Sharks, is going to fight against other gang bosses for the title of King of the Bronx. To help you in this task, you’ll start each stage wearing armour and carrying different kinds of weapons. Bronx has big and colourful graphics, including a great loading screen, a good background story (that is, in the game inlay) and a sense of humour. Maybe you’ve seen some of your opponents before. Nevertheless the game is a bit slow, due to the size of the sprites, and once you manage to combine offensive and defensive moves, it’s a bit too easy.
Bronx Street Cop
(Mastertronic, 1989)
Life in the Bronx district of New York must be tough with all the muggings, robberies and other crimes that occur each day. You’re a new recruit and have to show the bosses that you’re the meanest cop around. The game starts with target practice where you must achieve a certain score; if you do this, you can go on to the streets and shoot criminals – but don’t shoot any grannies or you’ll be disciplined! The graphics and sound are somewhat basic, and for that matter, so is the gameplay; the missions basically consist of more target practice, and the game is a bit too easy.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
ChinnyVision,
Xyphoe.
Is there any need to introduce this game? Based upon the movies of the famous kung-fu actor, this early platform game is one of the funniest ever released on our computer. Technically, there is nothing amazing. The graphics are average and the sound effects are sufficient, no more. What makes the gameplay excellent is the design of the levels. Each screen is different and the difficulty of the (many) traps perfectly studied. You must collect golden lanterns and climb nets and ladders. Two opponents will try to stop you; a green sumotori (!) and a ninja. It’s really funny to watch them fry as they walk on the traps you have triggered...
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
ChinnyVision,
jgonza,
Metr81,
Xyphoe,
ZEUSDAZ.
The Brush Brothers
(21bloques, 2023)
Carmelo and Gloria are a brother and sister team who like to paint. One day, they find themselves in a strange world, and in order to escape from it, they have to paint the floors of all the levels. This is a simple platform game that can be played by either one or two players, and in two-player mode, there is the additional option of playing either co-operatively (working together to complete each level) or against each other in a ‘versus mode’ (reaching a target amount of floors painted before your opponent). The graphics are colourful, and while the sprites are quite small, they are still recognisable and well animated. The music is quite jolly and fits well with the pace of the game, which can become somewhat hectic. The first few levels are fun, but the method of jumping from platform to platform feels rather odd, and on later levels, it becomes an annoyance that detracts from the enjoyment.