FIRST
STAR SOFTWARE
32k
CASSETTE
This game was recently selected as game
of the month in Computer & Video Games and was voted one of the
top ten computer games of 1984 in OMNI magazine. Need I say more?
Well, I suppose I should. Boulder Dash
is what I would describe as a thinking man's arcade game. You do need
to be quick on the joystick but rush headlong in and your lives will
quickly vanish. In the game you play the part of 'Rockford', a little
creature who can only be described as cute - if you pause during play
or use the spacebar to freeze the game he puts his hands on his hips,
winks at you and taps his foot impatiently.
The object of the game is similar to
other digging games i.e. you travel through caves to collect gems. It
is however much more difficult than most with many problems to solve.
Your biggest problem is the boulders which are numerous and, if
undermined, will be dislodged and will crush little Rockford. They
fall in a very realistic manner bouncing off other boulders and
trapping or killing you if you are not careful. Each screen has a time
limit at the top of the picture with the number of gems needed to
reveal a flashing exit.
In addition to the boulders, there are
Fireflies which are normally lethal but which on some screens can be
converted to gems, an Amoeba which can both help and hinder and magic
walls. After every 5 screens there is an optional quick, but not too
easy, screen to solve for a bonus life. In addition to this, bonus
lives are awarded every 500 points. There are 16 screens in all to be
cleared, each more difficult than the one before and each screen
requires very careful planning.
All in all an excellent game. Sound and
graphics are marvellous. Easy to get into, but very difficult to
solve. Well worth buying.
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