C&VG


Sinbad
By Virgin Games
BBC Model B

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #38

Sinbad

And I thought Virgin's latest batch of games were supposed to be better than the last lot.

Virgin are currently having a clear out to get rid of their old games at £2.99. This latest release should be included in the price cutting, if you ask me.

As usual, Virgin includes a few words about the author of the game on the cassette inlay. Dennis Ibbotson, who wrote Sinbad, is 35 and only started computing last year when his mother bought him a computer!

Sinbad

Dennis dislikes arcades and hates all computer magazines. Well, Dennis, we don't think much of you either. Perhaps if you read some magazines and played a few more games you'd know what people look for in a good game.

When you start the game, there are a few space invader type monsters moving round the screen, accompanied by the slowest piece of music you'll ever hear.

There's a magic carpet floating around too and, as Sinbad, you have to hop on to it and climb up its rope ladder to touch an alien. As you touch one, it changes colour. But touch an already changed one and you get knocked off the carpet.

Once you've managed to change all the aliens' colours, you move to screen two. Here, you have to pilot Sinbad on his carpet through space, avoiding the asteroids and other original things like that. This second stage is timed to last as long as it took you to clear screen one.

One of the dullest games I've ever seen for the Beeb.