Beetle Mania

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%