Producer: Gremlin Graphics
Retail Price: £7.95
Author: Gremlin in-house
Regretting that he'd never travelled British Airways, Jack The Nipper has leaped from a plane in midflight, followed by his harassed father. Their James Bond-like tumble deposits them in Jungleland - not much fun for an infant, you might think, but remember this babe's so tough he can change his own nappy without flinching.
Separated from dad, Jack sets off on a toddle, causing mayhem as he progresses through trees, cavernous halls, and underground passageways. Ladders, platforms, ropes and slides are all there to help Jack move, taking him to higher and lower levels and far-flung pockets of this arboreal empire. But he must be cautious when using them, as a tumble from the upper reaches is more than jungle Jack can take.
As Jack makes his way, he discovers that not everything is predisposed to his chubby-cheeked presence. Bats, birds, white elephants wearing shades, hippos in Raybans and sour-tempered scorpions are all out to give our wee man the touch of death.
The warriors of a native tribe are also irritated by his appearance and seek to find their spears some work. Fortunately - though the 'fortunately' may depend on whether you like small children - Jack can add to his eight lives by collecting dummies.
To further help his cause Jack discovers that he can gather other useful items to make life a little easier and earn points. Dynamite, grease, honey, onion and woodworm are all at hand to aid this apple of his mother's eye. Explosive green coconuts are particularly helpful - they can take out an approaching danger if carefully lobbed in its direction - and an invincibility sack gives our young hooligan temporary immunity.
On collection, all objects are automatically divided (by icon boxes) into those that are weapons and those that are naughty, which when used correctly can elevate Jack's Naughtyometer to proportions that would make even the surgical stockings of an SAS-trained nanny twang.
But should Jack's father finally catch up with his errant offspring, a spanking puts paid to his capers and it all ends in tears.
Gremlin Graphics's Jack The Nipper, the terrible tot's first appearance, earned 93% overall in CRASH Issue 30 - and he was on the cover.
COMMENTS
Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: colourful and detailed with great animation
Sound: fairly good title tune and spot FX
Coconut Capers is a superb follow-up to Jack The Nipper, and I have only one gripe: Jack just isn't as naughty and reckless as in the earlier game. The problems and solutions aren't quite as apparent in Coconut Capers, and we don't have to be as mean to the locals as we're used to; perhaps Jack has cooled down a bit after being deported from Australia. At first it's hard to relate to the jungle surroundings, but persistent adventuring soon reveals a collection of natives who create a strong atmosphere. And Jack is as cute as ever.
PAUL [88%]
Coconut Capers is better graphically than its predecessor, with much more colour and decorative surroundings making it more appealing. And luckily this initial appeal doesn't wear off, because there's just so much to explore and discover. Though the puzzles aren't quite as obvious as in the first Jack game, you just have to delve deeper to uncover the hidden surprises of Coconut Capers. It's great played either as a simple game or as an involved puzzle game. And whichever way you want to look at it I can guarantee there'll be something in it for you.
RICKY [87%]
Jack the Nipper is back in full force! This game is as bursting with addictiveness as the original, and it has more added attractions. But some of Jack's new adventures have been copied from other games. For example, you can travel in a coal truck and that's out of Roller Coaster; in the river scene you can cross on logs (Dynamite Dan); the basic layout is very similar to Jet Set Willy. Still, this doesn't spoil the enjoyment you can get out of Coconut Capers. There are some really good spot FX and a good tune at the start of the 128K version. Colour is used well and the graphics are excellent, though the animation is a bit jerky. Coconut Capers is a fantastic follow-up with plenty of playability, so snap it up while you can.
NICK [85%]
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