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programming
(c) 2000 James Burrows
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Why
a software company of Melbourne House's reputation
has decided to release this type of game now,
I can't understand. When other software houses
were releasing Miner Willy type games, Melbourne
House were releasing original software. Now the
tables have turned. . . . With this and Penetrator,
Melbourne House stand to lose some credibility.
Come on guys, let's have some original releases!
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| Welcome
to Game of the Week! Each week there will be a
new featured game on this page. The game may be good,
average or diabolically bad, it really doesn't matter!
Just look at the pics, read the text and enjoy the nostalgia!
:-) Game of the Week! is open to contributions so if you
would like to contribute
a game article for this page you're more than welcome
to! Every article we receive will be considered! |
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The
Dark Tower
1984 Melbourne
House
Programmed
by Robert Henderson
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| Most
text of the present article comes from the review published
in the first issue of the British C64 magazine ZZAP!64
(May 1985). |
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DARK
TOWER
Melbourne
House, £7.95 cass,
joystick only
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O
28-screen platform game with good music, poor
graphics
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Oh
no . . . ! It's platform time again. This is yet another
Jet Set Willy clone and is marred by uninteresting
graphics and a lack of original features.
You
are Prince Harry and have been turned into a mutant
by the Guardian of the Dark Tower. To restore yourself,
you have to collect all of the gems littered about the
28 screens of the castle. Letters are given after the
completion of each screen and these are to be used to
solve a puzzle when you complete the game. The first
500 people to solve the puzzle win a free Melbourne
House game of their choice.
As
in JSW there is more than one exit to each screen,
so you can explore the tower without necessarily completing
every screen you pass through. However, a bonus is awarded
for completing a screen without losing a life or leaving
the room.
Mutant
Prince Harry, bottom right, moves right past
a row of falling daggers -- there's no way back.
The
graphics are disappointing. Although smooth, they are
very small and spectrumesque. The baddies aren't very
detailed and haven't the humour of Jet Set Willy,
while mutant Harry looks like an egg on legs!
The sound is the best thing about this game: a thumping
good tune plays throughout, but it can be turned off
if it gets on your nerves.
The option to start a new game from where you left off
the old one will keep the mapmakers happy, but overall
this is a below average example of a tried and tired
theme.
JR
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How come the market seems able to absorb endless jumping,
collecting games? The only original thing about this
one is the excellent music that bops along as you play.
You may be deterred by only having 28 screens
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which
for hardened fanatics won't present much of a
challenge. Your egg character and most of the
other graphics aren't very detailed, and show
none of the humorous touches of other games. Personally
I'm fed up with the continual reworking of the
platform game.
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Hazards
of the tower
The various screens of Dark Tower present a typical
collection of dangers to be negotiated. There are ropes
which Harry can use to swing across chasms in true Hunchback
style -- but jumping on and off requires careful timing.
Also
in evidence are falling daggers and slopes, both of
which force you to plan your route carefully. The daggers
fall behind you effectively blocking your path back,
and you can't walk back up a slippery slope once you
have started tumbling down it.
Avoiding
the baddies themselves, as in most platform games, is
a matter of studying their movement patterns and timing
your moves carefully.
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I
must confess it was the music in this game that
really appealed to me - a venerable masterpiece.
Graphics to me are reasonable (especially the
title screen picture) and even though the animation
is nothing special, the
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colours are well used. Unfortunately, this 'arcade puzzle'
is in fact . . . . ANOTHER platform game. There are
now so many of these that new attempts at the format
need to offer something special.
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PRESENTATION |
ORIGINALITY
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76% |
Plenty
of attention to detail, great loading screen. |
12%
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Yawn
bore, we've seen it before.
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GRAPHICS |
HOOKABILITY
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| 49% |
The
characters are small and crude. |
58%
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Would
be compulsive if it was your first platform game.
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SOUND |
LASTABILITY
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| 86% |
Doodley-doodley-doo
bop-shoo-wop. |
56%
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28
screens, some of them very tough.
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| VALUE
FOR MONEY |
| 41% |
It's
too expensive for old hat. |
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Htmlized
by Dimitris
Kiminas (22 April 2001).
SID added 16 May 2001, ripped by Inge Hoie Pedersen!
Other
"Games of the Week!"
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