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Showing posts with label Codemasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Codemasters. Show all posts

Monday, 21 March 2022

Codemasters Collection 1 Review (Evercade)

The Oliver Twins collection was one of our favourite Evercade releases as It encapsulated the feel of the multi-game collections that were so prevalent during the days of microcomputers. The Codemasters collection is another release which again captures the fun, variety and nostalgia of the budget release and is packed with a solid seventeen games spread across the NES and Megadrive.

A lot of the games here were originally on a selection of multi-game budget carts that were released on the NES and they work well without overstaying their welcome. Boomerang Kid and CJ’s Elephant Antics aren’t really anything amazing but in this context, they are breezy distractions that are fun enough platformers to keep you playing for their short duration.

Boomerang Kid is sort of like a semi-bad take on Manic Miner while CJ is a bright but average platform game. Linus Spacehead would be pretty bad on its own but if treated like a short mini game style distraction it is much more palatable with each of its short stages requiring a different sort of platforming. It’s quite varied with one stage having you jump across bubbles, while the next has you avoiding boulders. It’s incredibly frustrating though so thank heavens for the save states.

Two more NES games round out the 8-bit platform section of the cart with both of the Big Nose the Caveman games included. These are much more polished and substantial titles. Again, they aren’t anything revolutionary but both games are enjoyable and fun and well worth spending a chunk of time with. For a bit of variety puzzle/driving game stunt buggies is another of the short and sweet games here with players needing to drive around a maze avoiding obstacles while picking up bombs. It's a good spin on the Pac Man format that is great for quick sessions of play.

Three shooters are also included and each of them has its merits. Bee 52 is a side scrolling blaster with the twist that you are playing as a Bee trying to bring nectar back to it’s hive. It can be frustrating but it’s an original and inventive game that works well. It has perhaps a few too many levels which means things start to get a bit repetitive but it’s well worth a look.

F-16- Renegade and MiG 29: Soviet Fighter are similar games, but both are decent. They are vertically scrolling shooters that also have levels which turn into Afterburner style 3D sections. There are a decent amount of power ups available, and the action is responsive and solid. The level variety helps to keep them fresh, and both proved to be real surprises to us.

By far the best of the NES titles is The Ultimate Stuntman which is quite difficult to get hold of on original hardware now. This uses the classic trope of the day by having each level broken into a different type of game. You start out racing against the clock in a top-down driving section, only to move onto a side scrolling action platformer, a flying level, a wall climbing section and so on. It’s tough but fun and certainly one of the highlights of cart. This really does qualify as one of the ‘hidden gems’ that the Evercade is so keen to unearth.

If the majority of the NES contingent could be seen as the ‘budget’ games, the same cannot be levelled at the Megadrive selection. Ok, so Super Skidmarks is a shambles when compared to the Amiga version but there are genuine all-time classics included here as well.

Perhaps the highest profile of these is Cannon Fodder. This mix of action and strategy has long been fondly remembered across a number of formats. The Megadrive version is a perfectly good port of the game, and it remains as chaotic and fun as it always has as your little squad goes blasting it’s way through a variety of environments.

Another stone cold classic included is Sensible Soccer. The Evercade is lacking is decent football games so this not only helps the collection gain even greater variety but also bolsters the machines line-up considerably. The game remains as fun and playable as always, with the simple controls and high-speed gameplay proving the perfect match for the system both on the VS and via the handheld. There’s a ton of different cups and competitions to play as well so if the bug bites you, you’ll be playing this for hours.

Mega-Lo-Mania is a great fun take on the God sim game. It seems easy at first, but you’ll soon find that assigning your dudes to research and attack takes an awful lot more thought and planning than it seems. It’s likely to eat away many hours of your life as you conquer your way to galactic dominance.

Of course, an Evercade collection wouldn’t be complete without another hidden gem and the 16-bit one on this cart is Cosmic Spacehead. Not to be confused with its NES budget cousin this game is a mix of point and click adventuring, platforming and puzzles. It’s a quirky fun adventure that manages its hybrid format very well. The story follows Cosmic who has crashed his spaceship. He needs to traverse the alien landscape to find the parts to fix it then blast off back home.

Codemasters has also included a previously unreleased game which will enhance its appeal to completionists. Tennis All Stars is difficult to get to grips with but when you do master the tricky controls it does play a solid game. Psycho Pinball rounds out the collection for high score chasers which proves to be a steady, if not amazing, take on the digital pinball format.

Overall, this is one of the best value and most fun carts that you can currently get on the Evercade. There’s a host of different genres and styles to play around with and while many of the games are of the solid to average standard, when put together on one collection is all sort of works. There’s also a good selection of genuinely excellent and iconic games here which makes this an utterly essential purchase and borderline system seller.

 

Overall –

NES Games

Bee 52                                             3/5

Big Nose Freaks Out                      3/5

Big Nose the Caveman                 3/5

Boomerang Kid                              2/5

Cj’S Elephant Antics                      3/5

F-16 Renegade                               3/5

Linus Spacehead                            2/5

MiG 29: Soviet Fighter                  4/5

Stunt Buggies                                 3/5

The Ultimate Stuntman                4/5

Megadrive Games

Cosmic Spacehead                        4/5

Mega-Lo-Mania                             4/5

Cannon Fodder                              5/5

Psycho Pinball                                3/5

Sensible Soccer                              5/5

Super Skidmarks                            2/5

Tennis All Stars                              3/5

Monday, 23 November 2020

The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy (Evercade Review)


The story goes that once upon a time the evil wizard Zaks kidnapped Dizzy’s girlfriend Daisy, and took her to his castle in the clouds. Dizzy must now find the castle and rescue her solving puzzles along the way and engaging in some all-round platform action. For the uninitiated, Dizzy is an egg who had a great deal of success on the 8-bit computers before facing his biggest adventure in this game on consoles. They simply don’t make games like Dizzy anymore, the action is basic, but brilliant, and to finish an entire adventure is a challenge.

The idea of the game is to solve puzzles by picking up items and taking them to a place where they can be used, thus allowing you to continue on. This may sound easy but Dizzy can only carry three items at once - meaning if you miss judge what you need to take, then progression will be extremely difficult. On top of this all manner of hazards and traps will need to avoided along the way.

Graphically, Dizzy is presented in a cartoon style, big and colourful with simple, charmingly drawn characters set against decent enough backgrounds. Everything is very clear on screen with slowdown and flickering rarely occurring, even when the screen is packed. The landscapes in the game vary from woods and towns to underground caves and sunken pirate ships - each represented in its own way and looking different from the last.

Gameplay, is both very simple and very difficult. Initially the game seems daunting, as puzzles can be obscure and it's easy to get lost if you're not careful. However, after a couple of tries you soon realise the necessary approach needed to solve puzzles and progress. Dizzy can be a difficult to control, but (like the puzzles), once you work out how far he can jump and what distance he can fall from, everything comes together. Producing a well-executed title that offers large doses of quirky platform fun.

As well as the basic platforming action there are several mini-games present such as going down a river in a barrel throwing apples at enemies. However, the most enjoyable section is where Dizzy is shooting people with a crossbow taken from a first person perspective and reminiscent of the arcade Shinobi bonus level.

Overall, Dizzy is a magical title, and while you cannot argue that it feels a little dated, it is a fine example of how great games used to be. Functional graphics, challenging puzzles and enjoyable mini-games mean that this a great slice of retro action and a strong addition to the Evercade line-up.

Overall 9/10

Monday, 16 November 2020

The Oliver Twins Collection (Evercade Review)


It’s no secret that we love Dizzy here at Retro 101, so when a collection from the Oliver Twins was announced we got very excited indeed. The fact there are a selection of other games from the pairing here as well and that some of the Dizzy games are previously unreleased NES versions just helped to further our anticipation.

There are five classic Dizzy adventures on offer and they all more or less follow the same pattern of having to manoeuvre dizzy around platforms, avoid hazards and pick up objects. The objects then need to be taken to appropriate places to solve puzzles. The amount of lives you have and the amount of objects you can carry varies but at their core the five games follow the same template.

The good news is that each of the games is great fun to play. Treasure Island Dizzy is the crazily tough one, Wonderland Dizzy is the NES version of Magic Land with an Alice in Wonderland Influence. Dizzy the Adventurer is a good place for newcomers to start as a more forgiving version of Prince of the Yolk Folk and Mystery World Dizzy is the NES version of Fantasy Land Dizzy and is themed around fairy tales. The biggest and best of the games though is the Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy which takes influence from all the games in a sort of epic greatest hits adventure.

Dizzy also appears in two other titles on the collection. Panic Dizzy is unfortunately, a fairly poor puzzle (much like the home computer version), but Go Dizzy Go is an excellent maze type game. Very loosely influenced by Pacman and block pushing games it has Dizzy traversing a single screen maze avoiding enemies and picking up fruit. Once all the fruit is collected it’s on to the next level. It’s similar to Kwik Snax Dizzy on the home computers but this is by far the best version of it.

Four other Oliver Twins games also make the collection and show what they could do away from the iconic egg. Dreamworld Pogie is a spinoff featuring Dizzy’s pet mouse. This is a more traditional platform game with players traversing a linear level to reach an exit while collecting stars along the way. It’s colourful, fun and often crushingly difficult. Super Robin Hood is another platform game with players avoiding traps and taking out enemies with arrows. It’s not amazing but again, provides a solid and fun experience that will likely keep you interested long enough to finish it.

Fire Hawk and BMX Simulator round out the package. BMX Simulator is the only game here which is genuinely bad with a top down view used to display four bikes racing around a single screen track in the style of Super Off Road. It’s frustrating and not implemented in the best way and is destined to be played once before players quit out never to return.

Fire Hawk is pretty much what you would expect from an 8-bit version of Desert Strike. Here you fly a helicopter over enemy territory to complete a host missions such as rescuing POW’s or destroying buildings. It also has the added gimmick that when the helicopter goes into a descent to pick up a passenger the game switches to a first person view where you have to shoot down incoming enemies. It works well enough but is very difficult and playing it can be frustrating at times.

Overall, the Oliver Twins collection is the strongest reason to own an Evercade we have come across so far. It collates an often overlooked group of software from two industry legends and includes two games that may well have been lost to time otherwise. The main reason to own this is of course the high amount of Dizzy on show but the other games are mainly solid as well and it all adds up to a very nice cartridge that will likely stay in your Evercade for a long time. This is exactly the sort of thing we need for the console. Simply put – it’s Eggcellent.

Game Ratings

Treasure Island Dizzy                                         4/5

The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy                    5/5

Go! Dizzy Go!                                                    4/5

Dizzy The Adventurer                                        5/5

Panic Dizzy                                                        2/5

Wonderland Dizzy                                              4/5

Mystery World Dizzy                                         4/5

BMX Simulator                                                  2/5

FireHawk                                                            3/5

DreamWorld Pogie                                             4/5

 Super Robin Hood                                             3/5

Sunday, 3 May 2015

World Championship Snooker 2004 Review (PS2)


Snooker may not be as popular or create as much of a buzz in your average gamers mind as other titles, but World Championship Snooker 2003 proved that there was a lot that could be achieved when placing snooker into a gaming world. This latest instalment builds on last rather nicely title but as with all annual updates, we are keen to see if anything has really been improved upon, or if it is just a case of sending out the same title with some new polish.

As is par for the course a few extra play modes and features have been added to the 2004 version. As well as the usual trick shot and pool sections there are now added multiplayer games along with a host of other nice play modes such as a classic match option and online compatibility. Add in a few bits of video to unlock and at least at presentation level this is a snooker fans dream game.

The game of snooker comes in the form of either one off matches, tournaments or a more in-depth and highly engaging career mode. Here you create a player and work you’re way through the rankings from small tournaments to the major events. Not drastically different from last years effort but as with all good things sometimes all that is needed is a little piece of the puzzle to change to make the overall feel much more appealing.

Graphically, the game has improved massively, it may be hard to imagine but the snooker table and balls are much more realistic than last time, amazing what some subtle colour differences can do. Now when you look at the table, especially from certain camera angles you would be hard pushed to tell if it is a game or the real thing being shown all hours of the day on BBC 2. Gratefully, the look of the ‘real’ players has been improved as well. It’s still not perfect but at least now you can tell the difference between Ronnie O’Sullivan and ET.

Apart from the new cosmetics, there has been one of two tweaks to the gameplay which help solve some niggling bugs from last year. Due to the smoother graphics it is easier to judge where the ball is going to go, meaning that just clipping the edge of a pocket is normally the players fault rather than something you could not see properly. Furthermore, while the sensitivity of cursor is still a little to high, after a few matches it becomes second nature to line up impressive shots and the frustration of the 2003 game where you where always gently trying to move the impact point ever so slightly to one side- only to see the thing swing miles off target is long gone.

The inclusion of highly detailed real life snooker arenas also acts to improve the overall feel of the game. During a tense set being surrounded by a crowd in a 'real’ setting really helps to build atmosphere. Couple this with a rather superb commentary track from John Virgo and Dennis Taylor and it truly is the next best thing to being there playing the worlds best yourself.

There has not been a major overhaul of any aspect since 2003. What we have is a more highly polished and refined version of something that was a pretty fine Snooker title in the first place. All the little improvements mean that even if you bought the last version of the series this one is well worth your money. For snooker fans it is guaranteed to engage and be enjoyed like no other title on the market, highly recommended.

Overall 8/10

Sunday, 26 April 2015

World Championship Snooker 2003 Review (PS2)


‘Its only game so put up a real good fight, I’m gonna be snookering you tonight, Snookering you, Snookering you tonight, Big Brake’ If you recognise those immortal words then this game could definitely be one for you. A rare offering in the fast paced, full on extreme world of all action Snooker comes in the form of the inspirationally titled World Championship Snooker 2003. However whether the sight of John Virgo in a waste coat gets you all hot under the collar or not it is clear that this game is one for the fans of the sport, and really that is all anyone could have hoped for.

Indeed, the amount of different features, play modes and a total of seventy real players all help to make sure that any avid fan of the sport will spend more time on the PS2 than on the table. As well as standard Snooker, which can be played as a one off match, a tournament of varying length or in a career mode where players must work their way up the rankings, there are also some other well thought out extras included. For instance, the title lets you play games of pool in both the 8 ball and 9 ball style, this helps to keep things varied and adds more of a ‘pick up and play’ style, should you wish for a quick game.

Perhaps most welcome of all however is the inclusion of a number of different trick shots to be completed. Once each has been tackled in turn you are thrown into the new challenge of ‘John Virgo’s trick shot’ where all shots must be completed in a time limit, who said Snooker would never make a decent arcade game? Furthermore, a number of two player games are available and though not the most imaginative inclusion (having to protect certain pockets, and pot balls in certain other pockets) it all helps to build a nice title that has a certain amount of longevity and style about it.


In graphical terms the game is both functional and poor in different areas. Admittedly there is little you can do to make a snooker table look like a cultured landscape picked from one of the Final Fantasy games, so while the representation of the table, balls and cue are not exactly jaw dropping they represent what they are supposed to and being colour blind aside, you should be able to tell where all the different coloured balls are at any given time. The balls themselves glide around the table as they are supposed to and should you play a particularly nice shot you are treated to a more cinematic angle as your allotted colour rolls its way into the nearest pocket.

Where the graphics fall down is with the somewhat ridiculous representations of the fifty odd real life snooker players in the title. First of all, at least half of the players look nothing like their real life counter parts, indeed some are so bad you wonder if the programmers had been given pictures of completely different people to work from. Another area that causes concern is the somewhat pointless animations during a frame- when a player finishes their turn they walk round the table and sit down; the next player then stands up and takes his position. This animation seems to take about half an hour and even with the ‘speed up’ button you are still shown some of the most bizarre walking animations in the history of gaming.

Luckily for us though, a few ropey graphics aside everything else has been implemented to a highly competent degree. The game plays very well apart from the shot cursor being very sensitive at times meaning that when you are trying get your shot to go in one very particular exact spot it can be very frustrating. However, for the most part everything the game does in terms of controls is aimed at making your life easier. It is fare to say that we are not exactly veterans when it comes to snooker games, but right from the first match it was easy to pull off complex shots. Perhaps too easy for some, but it leaves players to polish up on learning how hard to hit the ball and other small elements that make the difference between good players and excellent ones.

Rest assured though, while the controls are excellent, so is the computer AI of your opponents and it is not uncommon for them to almost clear the table after you have mucked up a shot. Word Championship Snooker 2003 is a simulation of the sport and so players must expect to have to raise their game in order to beat the worlds best snooker players.

Indeed, the fact that World Snooker Championship 2003 is so heavily based in the ‘real’ makes us wonder if this review is even worth writing. Because surely if you are a mad snooker fan you will have already bought this, or will buy it regardless of any faults the game has (luckily that is very few). If you don’t like snooker there is little here that is going to make you play the game, this certainly is not ‘Mario Snooker’ by any stretch of the imagination. What is here is a very playable and concise, though a little ugly, snooker simulation. If you like Snooker then buy it.

Overall 7/10

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Review (NES)


Once upon a time the evil Zaks kidnapped Dizzy’s girlfriend Daisy, and took her to his castle in the clouds. Dizzy must find the castle and rescue the girl, solving puzzles along the way and engaging in some all round platform action. Dizzy is an egg who had a great deal of success on the 8-bit computers before facing his biggest adventure in this game on consoles. They simply do not make games like Dizzy anymore, the action is basic, but brilliant, and to finish an entire adventure is a challenge.

The idea of the game is to pick up items and take them to a place where they can be used, thus allowing you to continue on. This may sound easy but Dizzy can only carry three items at once - meaning if you miss judge what you need to take, then progression will be extremely difficult.

Graphically, Dizzy is presented in a cartoon style, big and colourful with simple, charmingly drawn characters set against decent enough backgrounds. Everything is very clear on screen with slowdown and flickering rarely occurring, which is remarkable in certain instances, as the screen can become packed. The landscapes in the game vary from woods and towns to underground caves and sunken pirate ships - each represented in its own way and looking different from the last.

Gameplay, is both very simple and very difficult. Initially the game seems daunting, as puzzles can be obscure and it's easy to get lost if you're not careful. However, after a couple of tries you soon realise the necessary approach needed to solve puzzles and progress. Dizzy can be a difficult to control, but (like the puzzles), once you work out how far he can jump and what distance he can fall from, everything comes together. Producing a well executed title than offers large doses of quirky platform fun.
 
As well as the basic platforming action there are several mini-games present such as going down a river in a barrel throwing apples at enemies. However, the most enjoyable section is where Dizzy is shooting people with a crossbow taken from a first person perspective and reminiscent of the arcade Shinobi bonus level.

Overall, Dizzy is a magical title, and while you cannot argue that it feels a little dated, it is a fine example of how great games used to be. Functional graphics, challenging puzzles and enjoyable mini-games mean that this a great slice of retro action. If only Codemasters would give Dizzy one last adventure, as he truly was a great character and deserves a new opportunity.

9/10


Thursday, 18 October 2012

Dizzy! The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure Review (Amstrad)

Dizzy! The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure is the first title in what proved to be a long running series. This is where it all started with the original idea growing to be part of the blueprint for many games and genres to come. Here we see our hero, Dizzy, trying to find a number of items to make a potion and get rid of the dreaded wizard Zaks.

At this stage of the series the game is still based mainly in the platform genre with the adventure and puzzle elements taking a secondary role. Unlike in later titles, were he has a more generous inventory, Dizzy can carry only one item. This can become tiresome as objects are generally as far away as possible from where they need to be. This would not be so bothersome but most locations have two or three items to pick up. This means the player having to complete a number of journeys back and forth across the map.

The platforming itself is of a decent standard. There are few pixel perfect jump moments. But once you have the required understanding of how our hero leaps and rolls the jumps prove to be not much of a problem.

Unlike the Dizzy games that followed, this first title is absolutely jammed to overflowing with enemies. Any contact with the nasty creatures spells instant death. The spiders are easy to predict as they just move up and down but the birds, especially when two are on screen at once, pose a far greater threat as their flight patterns carry them across the whole screen.

Unfortunately the title contains a number of bugs that can make it impossible to finish. For instance, if players are too slow to catch the 'silver lining' of a cloud as it falls it will land in an unreachable position on the left hand side of a hut. Another instance occurs in the haunted forest where clouds cover a pit. Unless the player jumps between the clouds at the right time they will blow away leaving the pit impossible to get across. This is especially irritating as you must remember to jump at the right place every time you cross the pit.

The game also suffers from slowdown when rooms become cluttered with items and enemies and then speeding up dramatically at other times. This proves off putting given the tricky nature of the obstacles you need to negotiate. The environments themselves are functional if a little uninspired and comprise of platform stalwarts of such as a spooky castle, underground caves and a mountain region.

The puzzles are often obscure but the screens normally have a box at the top containing scrolling text. The text contains a hint such as "the ground seems hollow" or "the maiden has a broken heart" These hints turn what would be tricky puzzles into very simplistic ones and would benefit from taking a slightly more cryptic approach.

Dizzy may have been the game that started what turned out to be a long running and highly enjoyable series, but the first iteration of it simply lacks enough to make you want to see it through to the end. After a while the constant need to trudge back and forth from one side of the map to the other just becomes dull and repetitive. There is no doubting that the first Dizzy game represents a good idea, but it was the instalments that followed that really made the series fun.

6/10

Fast Food (Spectrum)

 
Fast Food is one of the more arcade style titles to feature Dizzy. Our hero is dropped into a number of different mazes and must collect food while avoiding monsters. The game plays out a little like a cross between Pac-man and Boulder dash, but keeps its own sense of identity as well.
 
In total there are thirty levels which get gradually harder as you progress. Anyone used to this type of game will easy race through the first twenty or so though. By the later levels you will have four different monsters racing around after you which each have their own characteristics (much like Pac-man). If you don’t concentrate you can easily find yourself trapped into a corner.
 
When you do get caught by a monster you start the level from the beginning again. This means that any food you picked up will have to be re-collected. Luckily there are a number of power ups to help you out. Dizzy can pick up shields which allow him to eat the enemy, speed up’s and speed down’s, a smart bomb style weapon and bottles which freeze the monsters for a short period. As well as these collectables the scenery can work in your favour with Small hedges allowing you to sneak through without monsters following you.
 
Every few levels you will receive an extra life which comes with a small animation of Dizzy outwitting a monster. These stack up early on but the tricky later levels will soon have you back down to a dangerously low amount.
 
Overall Fast Food is an enjoyable game. It is unlikely to take many fans away from the main Dizzy adventures, but it certainly acts as a nice break for ten minutes here and there. Even though the Spectrum version doesn’t have the graphical splendour of the Amiga it still manages to encapsulate the charm, fun and spirit of the game.

7/10

Magicland Dizzy Review (Amstrad)


 
The fourth game in the Dizzy series sees our hero thrown into a mystical fairy tale kingdom. Here the evil wizard Zaks has imprisoned Dizzy's friends and it is up to the intrepid egg to rescue everyone and return home. Much like the titles that precede it Magicland Dizzy is a platform puzzle adventure centred on the exploits of Dizzy the egg.

Puzzles are based heavily around various fairy stories. Depending on the player's knowledge of said tales completion of the tasks will either be relatively straight forward or more in the realms of teeth grinding obscurity.

Solving puzzles revolves around the series gameplay tradition of retrieving an object from an awkward place and taking it elsewhere. Dizzy can now carry three items at one time which reduces the need for backtracking. This allows for more complex puzzles and creates one of the most ingenious solutions in the series history (involving a sleeping friend and a shocking solution).

The platform aspect of the series retains the fine line between players needing to be a fair judge of how our egg shaped hero will role and just being ridiculously unforgiving. Most of the time death will be due to a miscalculation on the players behalf, but surviving certain sections, like taking a blind jump down a well without knowing what item you need, are more down to luck and memory tests than any form of real skill.

Looking back on Magicland Dizzy now, it is surprising to see that if anything, the game has actually improved with time. Graphically the Amstrad version of the title is simple but highly effective. Characters, objects and scenery are clearly drawn and coloured with a single colour against a black background. The simple design allows for the game to look as clear now as the day it first hit our screens.

Like many 8-bit titles it can be viewed as simplistic in terms of game mechanics and there is certainly not much in the way of true innovation. But the attention to detail and little touches really raise the game above the mass of pretenders. Things like having a bag of rubbish and an empty milk bottle outside the backdoor of the magical castle will raise a smile from all but the most cynical.

The game world itself is deceptively small, but even so there is a large amount of variation in the locations. Every area is interesting enough to make you wonder what is around the next corner and will have players pushing on until they have seen every last section.

In today's gaming culture of vast landscapes and millions of pixels on screen it is sometimes good to look back and see that the same feeling of adventure can be achieved with more simple tools. Magicland Dizzy̢۪s gameplay is still strong enough to offer something to players and contains more charm per pixel than most of the bland, shiny fodder that stock the shelves of your local game shop. Far from being looked upon with rose tinted glasses the title is even more enjoyable now than it was all those years ago. For that more than anything else we whole-heartedly recommend it.

8/10

The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy.

A review of the NES version of The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy.