Beetle Mania
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Description
Sokoban-style box pushing game.
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Instructions
BEETLE MANIA has 50 Levels which basically get more difficult in the higher Levels (Rooms).
The object of the game is to move all Kegs onto the diamond area in minimum number of moves, by pushing with the Beetle (Using the Cursor keys to control Beetle).
Note that you can only PUSH one keg at a time.
If you get stuck and/or get the kegs in an impossible situation,press key R to restart in same Room. (Or Q to Quit game).
Option to select SINGLEs, which lets you select Room, or CONTEST which allows you to auto-steps to next Room when each completed. (Kegs flash when all home...Press RETURN to continue).
Number of Moves is recorded on screen...in CONTEST mode can save current status so that game can be reloaded and continued from last completed Room. (Disc MUST be in Drive 1 if saving status).
After a Level completed, in SINGLES, option is given to select a new Room. In CONTEST mode the option is given to go to the next Room or save current Status.
Pressing Q to Quit when in CONTEST mode, will give option to save Status (which will be the LAST room completed if not the current one).
In CONTEST mode two scores will be shown on screen. M is number of moves in current Room. T is total number of moves of previous Rooms. T is updated when a Room is completed.
Just one helpful tip..... Sometimes it will be necessary to move keg(s) into a boxed off area so that you can get to the other side of the keg.
No one gets deaded and no aliens to blast.....hopefully you will still find this an addictive game of skill which will take many MONTHS to complete.
RESETTING STATUS RECORD
The program part called "CONTESTc" holds the record of which was last room completed, and the score so far. If you want to reset this all back to zero, Quit game then enter:
POKE 65000,1,0,0,0: SAVE OVER "CONTESTc" CODE 65000,4
BEETLE MANIA does not have a joystick option as this tended to too easily over move the Beetle and made control very difficult.
KEEP THIS DISC IN DRIVE 1 AS SOME ACTIONS SAVE/LOAD TO/FROM DISC
(If Disc is not in Drive 1 when trying to Load/Save within the Game, SAM will NEW and reset).
Reviews
Yous Sinclair review (Recovered), courtesy of The Your Sinclair Rock 'n' Roll Years YS 79.
Beetle Mania (SAM) GA Bobker £10.95 YS79
GA Bobker, he of the many Speccy utilities, has turned his talents to the SAM. Among his Coupe releases sits this rather interesting game. Remember Brainsport, that funky covertape game of a few months ago? You had to move barrels around a maze and into some holes, being careful not to trap the barrels up against the walls.
Well, Beetle Mania is Brainsport all over again, except this time with an insect in the title role. The game's still as fun as ever, requiring loads of tiny but perfect pokes at the control keys (no joystick option - it's not sensitive enough) as you manoeuvre the barrels all over the place. The presentation on the game is not that good, to put it politely. The graphics are very Speccy-like, and my version didn't load at all in 512K mode. However, to make up for it, there are a couple of really nice features. There are no baddies, or time limits - you keep plugging away at a screen until you beat it. Also, you can jump straight to any of the fifty levels.
There's a lot of lasting appeal in this game. I've got completely stuck on level three, so it should sell well to people who like a challenge. Sadly, the one gripe I've got is a major one. For what it is, the game is massively overpriced. Even with that one pound discount. And that really is a shame.
Verdict: 56%
Trivia
Thanks to Simone Voltolini for providing the dumped disk image.