Welcome to the CRASH Living Guide! In the next few pages you will find an amazing amount of games software reviewed in brief, and every month the section will be getting bigger as the current month’s new games are added to it. We’ve tried to be as comprehensive as possible in the time allowed, but anything we’ve missed out, you tell us about it and we’ll include it in the following issue.
Each month we shall be taking a few of the older games and looking at them in more detail. The one on this page will be our Game of the Month. To get here, it’s going to have to be good! This month the accolade goes to Jungle Trouble! by Durell/Martech, our reviewer is Matthew Uffindell.
Jungle Trouble is one of those games where you are told in advance everything that will happen to you, how to go about certain tasks, and where you can see all of the sections on one screen. To get away with that the game must be good — and it is!
At the beginning you are asked what playing speed you want. 1 being fast and 4 being slow (well, slower anyway). When you see the screen set up you may think it all looks easy (like I did). Just wait till the game starts! Three monkeys scamper on from the left and settle down on the right, at the bottom. Then three men come on after them and stand around at the left. A nice touch is that one realises he’s in the wrong place and goes back, to reappear within the frame of the playing area. All this is very nicely animated. A clock below the man starts and the game is under way.
The monkeys are itching for a go. One tree down, three to go...
Firstly you must use the stepping stones to jump across a river. As you back up to the left of the screen for your run up you collect an axe, which is signified at the base of screen. A jaw-snapping crocodile lives in the river, so falling in means instant death. For jumping the river, judgement and timing are critical — a slight slip of the finger and the all important jump timing is lost. You fall head over heels in to the water and into the croc’s jaws. But if you’re quick you can run back to the bank. Falling in loses the axe! Get another.
Once across the river you climb ladders to the second level where you are faced with four trees which must be chopped down with your axe. It takes several blows before the tree shakes and you step sharply out of the way to avoid being crushed by the falling tree. It’s also at this point that the bored monkeys come into their own. If you watch you’ll see one get up and disappear off the screen to reappear on your level. He’ll steal your axe, although if it’s still sharp enough you can kill him with it. If it’s very blunt he may kill you. Once stolen it means going back for another. Over the river, jump, jump, jump!
After clearing away all the trees and using several axes to do it, another set of ladders takes you to the third level. Here you must jump up at the right moment to catch hold of a swaying rope and swing across a fiery pit. Getting to the other side safely triggers a chasm to open up, which has to be jumped. Then you’re home — I haven’t managed that yet!
Throughout, the graphics are fantastic and there’s good use of colour and sound. Nice details like the monkey that scratches his head if no one’s on the second stage. Generally a very addictive and worthwhile game.