Commodore User


Punchy
By Mr. Micro
Commodore Vic 20

 
Published in Commodore User #11

Punchy

So you think Punch and Judy is a soft touch? Well, with the barrage of rotten tomatoes, custard pies, snapping alligators and pugnacious Punch himself, this game looks like being pretty tough. And pretty good fun to boot.

You're Bobbie the policeman, given the job of rescuing Judy who Punch has maliciously locked away in the booth. Brave Bobbie must run across a series of stage scenes, avoiding the edible nasties and jumping over various holes and pits in which Punch and the alligator lurk - not dissimilar in style to Hunchback on the Commodore 64. If he makes it to the end, he will free Judy from bondage.

Occasionally an express sausage (sent from Judy) soars past. Catch these of those and Bobbie gets a free trip to the next screen. But many of the screens repeat themselves, albeit with a few minor differences - but what do you expect for 16K?

Generally, this game is extremely well presented, especially in terms of colourful and vivid graphics. Can the Vic really do any more than this? There's a useful demonstration at the beginning, a high-score table, reasonable sound and lots of instructions on the insert. But with sixteen screens to negotiate, Judy might be better off digging a tunnel. Definitely more fun than the beach at Bognor.