Scumball

by Peter Gough, John Smyth
Bulldog Software [1]
1988

Bulldog
£1.99
Reviewer: Marcus Berkmann

Oi! Hairbag! Dogbreath! Toenail clippings! Belly Button fluff! KAPOW! Sorry Phil. (Sensitive fellows, these Tipmeisters). Right, where were we? Ah yes, Scumball, which sounds more like a medical complaint than a computer game too.

Programmed by Software Creations, this is another of those arcade adventures we used to see so many of, that are high on graphical whizziness and low on actual game. You control the inevitable droid, this time called LINDA (Laser Incorporated Nasties Disposal Android), which has to zap the slimy nasties in the sewer, pick up eight grenades and then blow up the mega-nasty, known as the Green Slime. There's a fair amount of running about avoiding things, and there's loads of scenery to admire, but it all gets a bit boring after a while, to whit about 20 minutes, although I manfully carried on playing for rather longer, just to see whether something would actually happen.

'Not bad for £1.99', some would say, but in my book, a boring game's a boring game. It's been exceptionally programmed - fast, attractive and easy to control - but this time that ain't enough.

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Graphics: 8/10
Playability: 7/10
Value For Money: 5/10
Addictiveness: 4/10
Overall: 5/10

Summary: Undistinguished chase-about that's no different to hundreds of others. A bit more attention to gameplay might have been a good idea.

Transcript by Chris Bourne