Computer Gamer


Bombo
By Rino Marketing
Commodore 64

 
Published in Computer Gamer #16

Bombo

This is not Bombjack. Honest! If it was it would say so on the packaging. It doesn't, so it can't be. But that's the only reason why it isn't.

In the continuing absence of Commodore Bombjack, this version will have to do.

Gameplay may be familiar to those of you who frequent arcades with the older types of games in them (i.e. Bombjack machines). A wave of insurrection has left the world littered with bombs (so says the instructions). You and your trusty jetpack have to clear the pyramids of ancient Egypt (though the graphics show South American pyramids - but I think that they look much better than the boring Egyptian type), castles of Medieval England, and the streets of New York (though some people may think that blowing up New York is the best thing to do to it, it doesn't improve your score!).

Bombo

Flashing bombs are likely to explode, so you score a bonus for them. Hindering your progress are evil eyes, little grey men, and what look like vultures; these chase you around the screen and do away with you at the soonest opportunity.

Bonuses are available as disks that whizz onto the screen giving you extra lives, extra bonuses from the flashing bombs, and a pause thingy that freezes all the baddies and allows you to score points off them as well.

The background graphics are excellent and in pseudo-3D that makes them look ever so nice. The music is also very good.

The title screen is more of a demo for the author's book on machine code - but that (the screen, not the book) is also put together quite well.

As I said earlier, there is no Commodore Bombjack at the moment, and so Bombo is the only thing on the market to fill that gap, and it has filled it very well. It remains to be seen whether the real Bombjack will recover from this early onslaught.