Big K


Crazy Balloon
By Software Projects
Commodore 64

 
Published in Big K #2

Crazy Balloon

The inlay card speaks of Crazy Nathan Wigglesworth, Flyer Supreme, and his trusty pal T. C. Barton undertaking "...the balloon trip of a lifetime". Of these two gentlemen I could find no sign, not of the "churches and skyscrapers" they were supposed to fly over (though they might appear in the higher levels of the game). All I could find was a lazily swinging green balloon in a spiky labyrinth. Hardly the trip of this or any other lifetime.

Your task - should you decide to accept it - is to guide the balloon (one of six) safely through the maze avoiding contact with any of the surfaces. The slightest touch - even by the basket - causes the balloon spectacularly to deflate and plunge to the ground.

This task is made more hazardous by the balloon's swinging, making it a larger target, and various mobile sharp things which inhabit each of the 26 levels. There are even magnets to pull the balloon off course and targets to aim for which can net you extra points.

Crazy Balloon does little to earn its name. The colours are pretty, the sound is minimal and the gameplay rarely climbs above mildly frustrating.

As for Crazy Nathan and his pal - they probably opted for the latest in flight simulation programs.