Brainache

Your Sinclair review, (Recovered) courtesy of the YS Rock 'n' Roll Years YS79

Brainache (SAM) Supplement Software     £4.50     Jul 1992

SAM Supplement, that world-famous disk mag from Walsall, has launched a software range under the witty title of Supplement Software. Programmers The Supple Boys are aiming to release a new game every couple of weeks - their next, Pazook, is due any day now. But enough of this staged buffoonery.

Brainache is not Triltex 3, despite what you may think after glancing at the screenshots. The gimmick in this puzzle game is that you use the joystick or mouse to position the cursor between two tiles, then click to swap their positions. If like tiles connect, they both disappear from the board. The idea, as you might have guessed, is to clear all of the 23 boards.

This game is stupidly playable. Like Beetle Mania, the emphasis is on your own skill - there are no bothersome time limits to worry about. The cunning bit is that you can't swap tiles and empty spaces, and mistakes always seem to lead to tiles being hurled out into the corners of the screen. It's so frustrating you'll be nibbling your joystick in a frenzy.

The presentation is pretty dull - there are some bouncy logos on the title screen, the graphics are basic tile designs and the sound is a fuzz-plink Sound Machine ditty - but the gameplay stands up well. Good stuff.

Verdict: 71%