The aim of this game is what the title implies; escape from a laboratory where there has been an explosion! Avoid all the hazards and help the bug you control to find a way out. Beginning with the graphics, they are vivid and colourful although not too detailed. The sprites move fast and smoothly, while the collision detection is great. The prominent colours used in this Mode 0 game are blue and red. The sound is very good with an atmospheric tune playing continuously, something which contributes to the creation of a tense atmosphere in this game! The gameplay is simple, old-fashioned and entertaining, although perhaps there should be a time limit. The grab factor is above average; most probably you will give it multiple tries. Overall, an entertaining and enjoyable game.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Amstrad CPC World.
Lala is a student witch who lost her filters around the witch academy. Take control of her and help her acquire keys and open doors, avoid spiders, bats and other obstacles in order to recover her potions. In this fast-paced arcade adventure, the graphics are quite detailed, since they use the four-colour Mode 1. Prominent colours used are brown and green, and although this might tire out the player’s eyes, it is the best choice, since it contributes to the atmosphere of being in a witchcraft academy. Sound is OK; a ‘schoolish’ tune plays throughout the game and there are some effects as well. The gameplay is satisfying and amusing. The game is big, Lala responds accurately to the keys, and the collision detection works fine. The grab factor is well above average. Overall, a satisfying, well designed game.
See also: Lala Prologue 2022.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
Metr81.
Lala Prologue 2022
(The Mojon Twins, 2022)
This may appear to be merely an enhanced version of Lala Prologue, but it’s different enough that I consider it worthy of a separate review. The most obvious difference is the graphics, which are in colourful Mode 0 and a dramatic improvement on the relatively drab, four-colour Mode 1 graphics in the original game. Lala and the enemies that she needs to avoid move around the screen much more smoothly, and thankfully, touching enemies doesn’t send you careering halfway around the screen any more, making Lala much easier to control. Finally, instead of energy, you have ten lives. The changes may have made the game a bit too easy – I was able to collect nearly all of the potions within a handful of goes – but it’s a lot less frustrating to play. The only real complaint is that the music hasn’t been improved.
See also: Lala Prologue.
Las Vegas Casino
(Zeppelin Games, 1989)
This game contains a selection of casino games (black jack, craps, baccarat and roulette) for you to fritter away your money – well, maybe not in reality, but you know what I mean! You start with £250, and can make bets in each of the games from £1 to £5,000. I’m not going to explain the rules for each of the games here, but this game isn’t entertaining at all. The controls are strange – for instance, rather than simply entering the size of your bet, you have to select it by making stacks of chips representing units, tens, hundreds and thousands. The graphics are basic and there are no sound effects or music whatsoever.
Las Vegas Video Poker
(Entertainment USA, 1986)
This version of the card game uses slightly different rules – it’s a one-player game, for a start. First you bet some of your money, and then five cards are selected at random. After choosing which cards you want to keep, the remaining cards are changed, and it is then that you will hopefully win some money. You can also look at the odds of winning for each combination before you insert your money, and there are five skill levels as well. It goes without saying that you can’t win or lose any real money, and you have to wait a long time between each turn; you’ll soon get bored.
Laser Boy
(Carlos Sevila, 2017)
Laser Boy has discovered the entrance to a cavern, but what awaits him inside are fifty rooms filled with platforms and deadly lava, lasers and swirling blades that he must avoid. This game was an entrant in the 2017 #CPCRetroDev Game Creation Contest and it finished in sixth place. It’s very similar to Hair Boy, the author’s entry in the previous year’s competition. The graphics are fairly basic and the sound is limited to a few simple effects, but this doesn’t detract from the gameplay. The controls are very sensitive and it’s so frustratingly easy to hit a laser beam or fall off a platform and touch the lava, yet it has that addictive quality that consistently makes you want to try to reach the door at the other end of each room just one more time.
See also: Hair Boy.
Laser Squad
(Blade, 1989)
This is a turn-based strategy game where tactics are everything. You’ll need to buy the right weapons and position and move your squad (led by Corporal Hansen) effectively if you’re going to defeat the rebel Space Marines. In each turn, your men have a number of action points, with every possible action using some action points – so you’ve got to think carefully, or you may run out and be caught in the line of fire of an alien! There are five missions in total, all of them extremely challenging, and seven difficulty levels. If that still isn’t enough, an expansion kit with two extra scenarios is also available. Trust me; you’ll like this game a lot.
See also: Rebelstar.
Laserwarp
(Amsoft, 1984)
The Master is threatening to take over the galaxy, and you must stop him. Before you can battle against him, though, you must prove that you are a worthy opponent by fighting your way through eight waves of alien creatures, ranging from whirling dervishes to space mines, interstellar pogos, and hyper space chickens! Of course, it’s just another simple clone of Space Invaders with primitive graphics and sound effects, and unexciting gameplay, and there’s nothing else for me to say about it.
Watch YouTube videos of this game by:
GameHammer Classic Gaming,
Novabug,
Xyphoe.
Last Duel
(US Gold, 1989)
The beautiful Princess Sheeta has been abducted by the Golden Tribe, and you must battle through six levels in your neutron-powered car and galactic hoverplane. You start the first level in your car, and swap between the car and the hoverplane for every level. A second player can also join the action, although he or she can only use the hoverplane. First impressions of the game are good; the first level moves at a pretty fast pace and there’s a lot of action. Unfortunately the pace of the second level slows down significantly, and it therefore takes a lot longer to reach the end of the level. The graphics are very nice indeed – detailed, with effective use of colour – but the sound effects are irritating and the music is poor, and the game would be better if the levels in which you fly the hoverplane were faster and shorter.
Your mission is to reach the surface of the complex in one piece. Your tank’s turret pod (which looks like a red pill) can detach and fly around, which comes in handy, as barriers block the tank’s progress. Flying around this flip-screen world depletes your turret pod’s power and your laser can overheat, so be careful. A strange tune plays on the title screen with some pleasing sound effects added to the game. Colourful and smooth graphics make this an enjoyable blast.
Watch a YouTube video of this game by:
jgonza.