Prism Leisure Corp.
Cassette £2.99
Disk £4.99
1-2 players
1-2 joysticks/ keyboard
BOULDERDASH has had a
long and interesting lifetime. Originally published by First Star
Software three years ago, it became an instant smash hit on the
Atari and on the lesser micros too. Mirrorsoft brought the game
officially into the UK about a year later, again with widespread
popularity, and shortly afterwards Databyte announced the UK release
of its successor BOULDERDASH II – 'Rockford's Revenge'. Prism
Leisure Corp. are now re-releasing the BOULDERDASH duo and the good
news is they can be yours for under three pounds a piece.
Following a superbly designed and animated title
page with musical accompaniment the game proper gets underway. You
control the relentless Rockford, a cute little dude whose only aim
in life is to collect as many diamonds from the caves as he possibly
can. It sounds a doddle until you experience the eponymous boulders
which tend to crush poor Rockford if he doesn't move out of the way
in time.
Blocking amoebas, transforming butterflies and
out-manoeuvring fireflies are just a few of the distractions
Rockford will encounter on his travels. A quick reaction is not the
prime necessity – each cave is a complex and challenging puzzle
requiring skill and brain-power to complete it. There's not a lot of
people who can claim to have finished all sixteen caves in series
without cheating! Full playing strategies are thankfully provided on
the inlay.
If you do manage to master the first level there
are four more to contend with after that. BOULDERDASH is not a game
that you're going to tire of in a hurry. There are some great sonics
included, and visually the game is superb. Just wait until you see
Rockford impatiently tapping his foot during pause mode!
The majority of Atarians will already have the
BOULDERDASH duo in their collections, but if it's missing from yours
then you ought to make amends as soon as possible. My special thanks
go to Rockford for sending me a pack of his edible boulders with the
review copy. Yummy!
