1 player, horizontal game
Telegames, for the Atari Lynx
$44.95
Stereo? No

OVERVIEW:
Gate crashers are, like, a total bummer, y'know? Take Fat Bobby for an example; his band was just minding their own business with band practice when some weirdo called Dr. Mephisto wearing a puke green shirt drops in. Before Bobby can tell the guy to beat it, he zaps the band and makes them disappear. Now it's up to Bobby to follow the critic and rescue his pals -- preferably before the concert next weekend...

Or something like that, which is a fancy way of saying that Fat Bobby for the Lynx is a side-scrolling platform game. The player guides Bobby through various locales, facing assorted goons, guards, and obstacles as he searches for the rest of his band. He can clobber creeps with his guitar and grab icons for extra time and health, but Bobby's biggest asset are his lofty jumps. Take too many hits, and Bobby loses a life; lose too many lives, and Dr. Mephisto gets the last laugh. Can you help him beat the odds?

GAMEPLAY:
Let's get down to the brass tacks: Aside from its slightly-unusual plot and the hero's choice of weapons, Fat Bobby is a very generic platform game. Anyone who's even slightly familiar with the genre won't find anything surprising here; enemies moving in repetitive patterns, floating platforms, moving platforms, obstacles to avoid, bosses to beat, a time limit ... in short, it's business as usual. The game does spice things up a little with some mini-challenge scenes, but for the most part they're just minor variations on the platform formula.

However, that's not to say that Fat Bobby is a bad game. Though it is predictable and uninspired, folks looking for a simple platform title will be satisfied. The controls are snappy and responsive, for instance, and the player rarely gets the feeling that the game is unfairly stacked against him. With some deft moves and a little caution, players can steer Bobby past the bad guys and save the day. Unfortunately, as with most platform games, Fat Bobby is rigidly predictable, which reduces the game's long-term playability.

GRAPHICS/SOUND:
The graphics and sounds in Fat Bobby share its trend of uninspired competence. Visually, the game is easy on the eyes, with clean, cartoony graphics, decent scrolling, and a reasonable level of animation all around. There isn't anything that pushes the Lynx or grabs the player, but they do a decent job. Sounds are at the same level, with effects and noises that manage to mirror the game action. The only downside is in the music; for a title built around Bobby's rock prowlness, the melodies from this game range from randomly incomprehensible to the mildly annoying. Fortunately, the tunes can be turned off by pressing Option 2.

SUMMARY:
Fat Bobby delivers exactly what its premise promises: an uncomplicated, middle-of-the-road platform game. Nothing about this title is truly atrocious, but it also offers nothing that's truly noteworthy. Younger players will enjoy this game the most, but gamers searching for something more intriguing should look elsewhere.

	6.5
	7
	6
	6.5

Rating values  10 - 8   Great! This game can't get much better.
                7 - 5   Good. Average game, could be improved. 
                4 - 2   Poor. For devotees only.               
                    1   Ick. Shoot it.