(both
Bug Byte)
48K Cassette £2.99 each
1/2
Players
1/2 Joysticks/Keyboard
Bug Byte are a company who have been producing
computer software almost since the dawn of time. In the early days
they concentrated on machines like the Vic-20 (a steam-driven
antique unit which is, thankfully, no longer with us) but now, in
their infinite wisdom, they have gotten round to producing Atari
software at long last. Slightly misleading in the case of SAVAGE
POND though, as this is an old Starcade game and Bug Byte have
acquired the rights to this game rather than produced it themselves.
In SAVAGE
POND you control a tadpole, of all things, and your aim is to try
and build up a healthy colony of frogs. Worms, dragonfly eggs and
amoeba have to be eaten (not a diet I'd fancy!) in order to stay
alive and continue along the path of evolution until, finally, you
reach the serious business of frog-breeding. As the name implies,
SAVAGE POND is far from friendly and hazards abound. Firstly there
are vicious predators such as hydra, jellyfish and voracious
dragonfly nymphs who regard a tadpole in much the same way as we
regard a fat steak, spiders, waterfleas, bloodworms and other
skin-crawling nasties. And then there's Mother Nature's deadliest
enemy (us you fool!) equipped with a nice drum of radio-active waste
to pollute the water - you've guessed it this pond's sighted next
door to Sellafield!! After making a token attempt to battle through
all this the best advice I can give is, if you believe in
reincarnation, then don't come back as a tadpole!
SAVAGE
POND has been available for as long as I can
remember but there are possibly many new Atari
owners who have never heard of it, plus one or
two of *be older ones? It deserves more
recognition if only because it oozes originality -
there's not another game quite like it. SAVAGE
POND is ageless in terms of computer software. It doesn't fit into
any set category (platform, shoot 'em up, adventure etc.) so it can
never become unfashionable. Under Bug Byte it retails at a paltry
£2.99. Believe me, it'll be the best three quid you'll ever spend!
Also
received for review - CLOAK OF DEATH, which is a graphical adventure
written entirely in BASIC. The scenario is a familiar one. You've
downed too many pints at the local tavern and, full of Dutch courage
(not to mention Danish lager!), you agree to spend the night in an
old house which has been empty for 30 years. The door
slams shut behind you and, try as you might, you can't open it
again. And so the scene is set.....
The
program recognises 67 verbs and 94 nouns and, as adventure's go, it
is reasonable enough with lots of head scratching puzzles to solve.
The graphics can be turned off for those who regard them as
sacrilege, but yours truly preferred them on as they add some extra
interest to the game.
Lots of
very good text adventures are available as magazine listings -
including Page 6's own CASTLE MORGUE - and I feel most people would
think twice about forking out money for an adventure written in
BASIC, despite the addition of the graphics. At least the price is
right and at only £2.99 it must be worth considering.
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