BARGAIN BASEMENT
GOING DOWN
Another trip to the netherworld of cheapies with Mr Stingebucket himself, Marcus Berkmann! (Where's that cheque? MB)
Kixx
£2.99
Reviewer: Marcus Berkmann
Another splendid old game, this time a true platform-and-ladders arcade adventure with loads of pixel-perfect joystick control and general frustration and hair-tearing. Monty has escaped from jail, only to find that on the outside there are loads more platforms and ladders to be negotiated. To get through the trillions of well designed and often fiendishly hard screens, Monty needs to choose five items (from a large selection) for his "Freedom Kit", and anyone who keeps their old copies of YS should find a list of the right things to choose somewhere in an old Clinic (it's a regular request). Both the graphics and gameplay are streets ahead of the Jet Set Willy blueprint, upon which most of these games were originally based, and perhaps Monty's greatest challenge is to get past the coal crushers - white and grey whatnots that cruch anything between them. Trouble is, unlike everything else in the game, they're completely random, and it can be impossible to avoid being splatted. Some bits too require an awful lot of thought - on balance I'd say it's harder than Wanted: Monty Mole or Auf Wiedersehen Monty. And now here it is for £2.99. Worra bargain!
Ross: For all the Monty Mole fans out there, this game continues his escapades, only this time, it all seems a little more difficult. You're gonna have to help little Monty escape the forces of Law and Order and get him on a boat bound for France!
The scenario of screens behind the talc of this cosmopolitan little rodent are similar to those in the original game. It's all platforms, ladders, ropes, and even those horrible 'crushers'. What's new are the transporters which flash on and off in spectacular multicolours, and you'll have to learn the colour code as quickly as possible if you want to pass through them safely. It's a bit like complicated traffic lights really...
You can kit Monty out with five assorted objects at the start, to set him up in life. You then have to collect gold coins, and use the objects, just as you did in the first Monty game. Your timing has to be pretty hot, and mapping is essential.
I'd say that this game has a higher fun factor than its predecessor especially since Monty has become more dynamic and has taken to leaps and somersaults rather than straight walking! This adds to the visual sparkle and keeps the adrenalin flowing. It's a goodie, try it! 9/10
Dougie: He flies through the air with the greatest of ease... Just another boring platform game? Rubbish! Give me that joystick back... 9/10
Rick: Not a bad rework on an old adventure. Monty seems to have developed a few more athletic tendencies though, so I won't be surprised if I end up with a headache after playing this one. 9/10
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