Producer: C.D.S. Microsystems
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £5.95
Language: BASIC
Author: A.J. Rushton

Spectrum Safari isn't exactly a new game. Its author, A.J. Rushton, originally marketed it under his own name when it was released last summer, but now it has been repackaged by CDS and given a new lease of life and better marketing, which is good, because this original and entertaining game deserves it.

The basic aim is to escape from a tropical island with as many of your exploring party alive as possible. Besides yourself, there are two others in the party. The centre of the island is a large swamp surrounded by six native villages. Your party starts off in the north-west, and the only boat to use for your escape is in the south-east. Movement is accomplished by entering in the direction you wish to travel. You need plenty of food as each man eats one pack per move. To get more food the villages may be visited where the villagers will offer to bargain for food (watch your money supply) and you can add to your team or replace lost members by bartering for one of the villagers. Pitching a bid too low may upset them and they won't deal with you. This is sad because, once visited, a village can't be returned to again.

The major problem to be encountered on your safari is the island's wildlife. Almost every move made will result in your party stumbling upon some creature or other. Some of these are virtually university educated and ask mathematical quizzes of you. Some demand that you tell them their name. Others ask memory questions, but some are downright mean and force you into an arcade sequence. Should you fail the test, one of your party is killed off (hence the value of buying more men from the villages as these represent your lives!). On the other hand, a correctly answered test will give you 500 more 'Rubloons' of money for bartering with. Running out of food will also kill off a member of your team, the boat may only be bought at one village, which you must reach, and to succeed in escaping you must have sufficient food with you.

COMMENTS

Control keys: vary from sequence to sequence but prompted on screen
Use of colour: good
Graphics: varied, amusing although a bit small. The hi-res drawings work well
Sound: mostly beeps
Skill levels: 3
Lives: three to start, then depends on your bartering skills

I played Spectrum Safari some time back and remembered enjoying it. So it was nice to get to review it again. Time hasn't dimmed its appeal either. What's nice about this madcap game is that it keeps you on your toes and it's very playable by a family along the lines of those TV family quiz games. To avoid being mangled by a mad marmoset, for instance, you must add up three blocks of them and give the correct answer in a few seconds. It's not easy, and a quick eye is needed. The little arcade sequences, like getting through the maze of cruel crocodiles, are nicely done, although naturally the graphics are quite simple. Original, enjoyable and quite addictive as well.

This game is totally original and combines some strategy elements with quizzes and arcade pieces. I would call it a lighthearted rather than deadly serious game, but there's enough in it to keep you going for some time, and it gets to be pretty maddening! Some things first time round are literally killing. The lion who wants you to repeat his name after flashing it on the screen for what looks like a quarter of a second just makes you laugh. You do get better though.

A graphics adventure that combines "soft" arcade with adventure elements and is very interactive with the player. It's fun.

A semi-adventure where you wander round the screen coming across various animals which all ask you to play games, or solve riddles. Really, a sort of compendium of games rolled into one.

Peter: This is a collection of bad 'magazine type' programs thrown together, with less than spectacular graphics and an average choice of colours. And because it's written in Basic, it's not particularly fast.

Stewart: There's an overall strategy theme, with varying speeds for each section - although it's never dazzlingly fast. You'll find such items as gorilla-gambling, snake-shooting and guessing games.

Stephen: This is a sort of adventure, but the player need not be too skilful at arcade games to succeed.

Producer: A J Rushton, 48K
£6.95

I've been told that this game is now marketed by CDS Micro Systems. In any event it is a jolly and original mixture of arcade bits with text/graphics adventure which should keep you on your toes unless you're a D&D purist. The idea is to take your party of stranded explorers across an island infested with highly intelligent wildlife with university degrees, and beset with natives who want to barter away their food and men to replace that eaten by the men or the intelligent wildlife. Once you have visited a village it disappears forever, presumably wiped out through lack of resistance to some vile white man's disease, but it teaches you caution in your bargaining, if you're getting short of explorers (lives) in your party. Losing them all means death to the player. The main object is to find the only boat, buy it and sail away from this Magnus Magnusson madhouse. Every animal encountered has some problem for you; sometimes its an arcade style situation, sometimes they want to know the answer to a difficult mathematical problem. If you fail a member of your party gets eaten. Nice clear graphics and a veritable MGM musical score makes this a very enjoyable game. Recommended.

Producer: A J Rushto, 48K
£6.95

I've been told that this game is now marketed by CDS Micro Systems. In any event it is a jolly and original mixture of arcade bits with text/graphics adventure which should keep you on your toes unless you're a D&D purist. The idea is to take your party of stranded explorers across an island infested with highly intelligent wildlife with university degrees, and beset with natives who want to barter away their food and men to replace that eaten by the men or the intelligent wildlife. Once you have visited a village it disappears forever, presumably wiped out through lack of resistance to some vile white man's disease, but it teaches you caution in your bargaining, if you're getting short of explorers (lives) in your party. Losing them all means death to the player. The main object is to find the only boat, buy it and sail away from this Magnus Magnusson madhouse. Every animal encountered has some problem for you; sometimes its an arcade style situation, sometimes they want to know the answer to a difficult mathematical problem. If you fail a member of your party gets eaten. Nice clear graphics and a veritable MGM musical score makes this a very enjoyable game. Recommended.

Producer: A J Rushto, 48K
£6.95

I've been told that this game is now marketed by CDS Micro Systems. In any event it is a jolly and original mixture of arcade bits with text/graphics adventure which should keep you on your toes unless you're a D&D purist. The idea is to take your party of stranded explorers across an island infested with highly intelligent wildlife with university degrees, and beset with natives who want to barter away their food and men to replace that eaten by the men or the intelligent wildlife. Once you have visited a village it disappears forever, presumably wiped out through lack of resistance to some vile white man's disease, but it teaches you caution in your bargaining, if you're getting short of explorers (lives) in your party. Losing them all means death to the player. The main object is to find the only boat, buy it and sail away from this Magnus Magnusson madhouse. Every animal encountered has some problem for you; sometimes its an arcade style situation, sometimes they want to know the answer to a difficult mathematical problem. If you fail a member of your party gets eaten. Nice clear graphics and a veritable MGM musical score makes this a very enjoyable game. Recommended.