Amiga Power


Manic Miner

Author: Stuart Campbell
Publisher: Software Projects
Machine: Amiga 500

 
Published in Amiga Power #8

Manic Miner

Now we're talking... After the successful transporting of the wonderful Head Over Heels to the Amiga by The Hit Squad, Software Projects get in on the act with another release (it came out a couple of years back but sank without trace) of the all-time Spectrum (and just about every other 8-bit machine under the sun) classic, Manic Miner.

The game which defined the rules for platformers for years, Manic Miner combined excellent (for the time) graphics with surreal humour and fiendish design to produce, frankly, one of the best games ever played. This version includes a pixel-perfect copy of the Speccy original, as well as an updated 90s version with big graphics, scrolling screens and new movement patterns, so that even in the unlikely event that you remember how to do all the old screens, you've still got a whole new challenge to tackle.

The one downer is the music, which somehow manages to be worse that it used to be back in 1983, but otherwise this is exactly the same superb game that it always was.

The inclusion of the old and new versions should suit just about everyone, from nostalgia buffs to those who insist that Amiga games should have Amiga graphics (sad, sad people), and there's really no more to be said - apart from the fact that they're about to release a similar updating of Jet Set Willy. Don't miss it.

The Bottom Line

Two perceptibly different games for a tenner, both of them fab. Shame about the music, but don't let that put you off this major bargain.

Stuart Campbell

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