Big K


Buzzard Bait
By Tom Mix
Dragon 32

 
Published in Big K #8

Buzzard Bait

Dangle a dongle and thwart a thief! This program, packaged in an awful outside box, comes complete with a little black wotsit which must be plugged into a joystick port before the cassette will load. Tapes won't load without a dongle, and there's only one dongle per purchase. 'Nuff said.

Buzzard Bait is a Dragon version of the arcade game Joust. Mounted on your trusty joystick-controlled ostrich, lance at the ready and four lives at your disposal, you fly forth to do battle with thine foe.

The fire button controls flight while 'gravity' hinders it. Clouds provide strategic rest points and obstacles to movement and a built-in rebound effect can have you bouncing around all over the screen if you're not careful... even if you are careful actually. The opposition consists of several foes whose numbers increase as you progress. They are dispatched by colliding with them, ensuring that you are at the greater altitude. Otherwise you are dismounted and your reincarnation appears on a cloud (Not a harp in sight!). Dismount an opponent and an egg bounces away, only to hatch into a further foe if you don't 'collect' it first. Take too long to clear a wave and a pterodactyl appears to attack you with vicious and fatal swoops. Difficulty increases automatically by the clouds and land disintegrating and the appearance of a monstrous hand to pluck you from the skies should you fly too near.

This game shows what the Dragon can do. It leaves most other software in the shade. Control response is excellent while the graphics, animation and sound make for an exciting and fun game. The two-player simultaneous play option is a rare treat... but the price is a bitter pill.