C&VG


Squeakaliser

Publisher: Bug Byte
Machine: BBC/Electron

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #71

Squeakaliser

Bug-Byte's latest is not for the squeamish. You are a mouse engaged in a life or death struggle with three patrolling moggies. The idea is to collect keys which release a giant cat trap.

While you are collecting the keys in a race against time, the cats are at liberty to bash you. But once the cat trap is released, it's moggy watch out. The visual and sound effects when a cat gets itself caught in the trap are pretty grisly.

There are two modes in this game, 'sheer panic' and 'sweaty palms'. For sheer panic, read 'reasonable pace' and for 'sweaty palms' read 'dead slow'. Goodness knows why they put the slow mode in!

Squeakaliser

The graphics are Bug-Byte's favourite mode two type, blocky and uninteresting, although there are one or two nice touches - the way the cat gives the mouse a thumping and the stars which swim around the victim's head, for instance. And these cats have brains - if they see you, they go for you.

The sound is impressive. The tunes are actually worth listening to and don't simply get in the way, and the sound effects during the game add to the fun.

On the debit side, the action is held up for too long when you lose a life, and when you've lost one list, you've often lost the lot - when the game restarts, your opponent is still right by you and it's extremely difficult to get away. I spent several boring minutes watching my lives slip away, without being able to continue playing, or interrupt and restart.

It's maybe worth the £2.99 price tag. But Tom And Jerry it ain't.