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(c) 2000 James Burrows
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Although the graphics
of the original Boulderdash
are simple, they are very effective and I'm surprised
(and annoyed) that First Star have changed them.
Bas-relief graphics may well be the 'in' thing,
but they just don't walk with this sort of game.
I would have welcomed a new title screen tune,
but at least they have left the sound effects
intact.
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Most of the caves
are tough to complete -- although I'm sure cave
A is impossible -- and I enjoyed playing Boulderdash
III. But it's
really Boulderdash
with redesigned screens, and I consider this a
rip off at the price. Still, this is sufficient
fodder for hungry Boulderdash
players, but it really should be cheaper.
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I must admit that
I thought another Boulderdash
game would be
a real bore, but First Star have really come up
trumps with this one. The graphics have been completely
revamped, giving some initial confusion to even
the most ardent of Boulderdash
players and the screens themselves are fiendishly
difficult. The appearance of a couple of new nasties
would have been welcome -- the ones in this game
are really the old denizens with new graphics,
but even so the game is horribly difficult, amazingly
addictive and in my opinion the best in the Boulderdash
series.
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THE FOUR ADVERSARIES
MOUTHS
Have
the same properties as the fireflies in Boulderdash
and Rockford's Riot. They kill Rockford
on contact, but dropping a boulder on them disposes
of them and creates a square hole in the process.
EYES
Have
the same properties as Butterflies and they also
kill Rockford on contact. Dropping a rock on one
turns it into nine sparkling diamonds.
THE
MONOLITH
This
menace multiplies through ground and empty spaces.
It can be touched, but it has a strange effect
on Eyes and Mouths. When either comes into contact
with the Monolith it explodes, but the Eyes change
into nine diamonds. If the Monolith gets trapped
it turns into diamonds, but should it expand to
200 squares then it changes into boulders.
MAGIC
WALLS
It
looks like an ordinary piece of wall, but when
a boulder or diamond is dropped onto it, it glows
and makes twinkly noises for a limited period.
If any boulder pass through it during this time
they are turned into diamonds; however, precious
jewels turn into worthless boulders if they fall
through. When the magic stops sparkling, anything
that falls into it disappears for good.
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| Welcome
to Game of the Week! Each week there will be a
new featured game on this page. The game may be good,
average or diabolically bad, it really doesn't matter!
Just look at the pics, read the text and enjoy the nostalgia!
:-) Game of the Week! is open to contributions so if you
would like to contribute
a game article for this page you're more than welcome
to! Every article we receive will be considered! |
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Boulder
Dash III
1986 First
Star Software
Programmed
by Peter Liepa
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| Most
text of the present article comes from the review published
in the fifteenth issue of the British C64 magazine ZZAP!64
(street date: June 12th, 1986). |
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BOULDERDASH III
First
Star, £9.95 cass, joystick only
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ZZAP!'s margin megastar, Rocky Rockford, is back in
yet another chapter of the ever popular Boulderdash
series. This time, however, our rock-pushing hero has
donned a space suit and his adventures are set in the
infinite voids of space rather than underground. There
is a new set of nasties to confound and confuse the
poor fellow and the graphics are different, but the
object of the game remains the same: collect a set amount
of diamonds from one of sixteen different caves and
escape within a given lime limit.
The
playing area is roughly three screens long by two screens
high and scrolls with Rockford as he moves. Each cave
usually comprises four basic elements -- metal plates,
rocks, walls and diamonds -- along with various combinations
of adversaries (see separate panel). Rocky can tunnel
through plates and diamonds, but he can't pass through
walls or boulders, and certain nasties kill him on contact.
Although
the game is set in space, boulders and diamonds obey
Earth's laws of gravity, ie they fall unless they are
resting on something. However, boulders and diamonds
don't like sitting on other boulders and diamonds, and
they fall off.
If
a falling boulder or diamond hits Rocky, or he runs
into something nasty, he blows up and loses one of his
three lives. Fortunately, a new life is awarded every
500 points. When the allotted number of diamonds have
been collected, the screen flashes and it's time to
make tracks for the exit, a distinctive flashing square.
Any remaining time is converted into a bonus, and Rocky
is transported to the next cave. If the time limit is
exceeded, though, it costs him a life. When all of the
sixteen caves have been solved, the game starts again
on the next of the five levels.
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THE SIXTEEN
CAVES
CAVE A: INTRO
A
relatively straightforward cave where the object is
to simply collect the set amount of diamonds and escape.
There are a couple of tricky places where a boulder
could possibly flatten Rocky, but if he's careful there
shouldn't be any hassle.
CAVE
B: FORT KNOX
The
first of many difficult screens. Over fifty diamonds
are enclosed within four sets of brick 'prisons' --
how is Rockford going to get them? Well, there are six
Mouths at the top of the screen which need to be guided
to the correct place on the screen before dropping boulders
on them and . . .
CAVE
C: TRANSFORM
This
screen heralds the appearance of magic walls. There
aren't enough diamonds lying around the cave to allow
Rocky to finish, but dropping a boulder through one
of the walls generates a diamond. Ah! There is one small
problem, though -- the magic walls are in abundance
and if a diamond accidentally falls through a second
magic wall . . .
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CAVE
D: REUNION I
Greetings
to the Monolith! There are several Eyes in this cave
and since they turn into diamonds on contact with the
Monolith, all you have to do is lead them to it . .
. or is there more to it?
CAVE
E: MAZE I
Just
collect the diamonds and get out. The many Mouths scattered
about this cave mean that Rockford has to be very stealthy
on his travels, but otherwise this is straightforward.
CAVE
F: MAZE II
Similar
to the Maze I, but there are a lot more diamonds to
collect and even more Mouths to avoid . . .
CAVE
G: OBSTACLE
The
Monolith returns! It is swiftly cutting off Rocky's
exit, so he must quickly whizz past it, grab the diamonds
and get out before it grows too large to allow him to
do so.
CAVE
H: EASY
There
are three levels of magic wall and no diamonds. Just
remember the old adage 'magic walls turn rocks into
diamonds and diamonds into rocks and get to work . .
. but, be careful with this cave -- don't set off the
wall until all the rocks have been set up sufficiently.
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CAVE
I: CAVE-IN
No
nasties, but lots of linked vertical tubes filled with
rocks and diamonds. If Rocky's careful and doesn't do
anything silly -- like waiting beneath a falling rock
-- he won't have too many problems in completing this
cave.
CAVE
J: THE GUARDS
There
are only ten jewels to collect, but each is sitting
at the end of a sealed tube patrolled by a Mouth. Fortunately,
there is a line of boulders which can be dropped on
the Mouths once they have been released.
CAVE
K: GOOD LUCK
This
is just about impossible! No diamonds, just a Monolith
enclosed within a small brick 'prison', and a few Mouths.
Blow a hole in the wall to free the Monolith, and then
quickly trap it again to turn it into diamonds.
CAVE
L: THE TRAP
Another
tricky cave. The Monolith must be trapped before it
grows loo large; not easy, since the Monolith spreads
at a horrendous rate.
CAVE
M: REUNION II
Lots
of Eyes and the Monolith. Simply get the former to meet
the latter, and a multitude of diamonds are yours for
the taking.
CAVE
N: LIBERATOR
The
Monolith is completely enclosed by Mouths on the left
hand side of the cave, and on the right hand side there
are loads of trapped Eyes. Now, you'd think that you
have to somehow get the Eyes to the Monolith to produce
diamonds, but you don't. Well, not necessarily . . .
CAVE
O: PERFECT
Deceptive
screen this one. A magic wall and the Monolith are the
only things present. Trap the Monolith and use the magic
wall to get the rest of the required diamonds? Not really
because you must get 95 diamonds before you can escape.
A little clue though . . . this Monolith isn't like
most of its genre.
CAVE
P: THE FRONTIER
The
final screen is a tricky one. The playfield is split
horizontally by a magic wall and underneath that is
a whole pile of Mouths. Plenty of diamonds to collect
but how is Rocky going to get past all those horrible
Mouths?
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Yet
another Boulderdash
game and as with the other two the only real change
is its suffix. Admittedly the graphics are different
as the packaging goes out of its way to tell you
(putting Metalgrafik (tm) on the inlay is a little
bit strong considering it's only that old favourite
bas-relief (tm)). The new screens are reasonably
well designed and provide more than a fair amount
of enjoyment for Boulderdash
junkies, maybe even £9.95 worth of enjoyment.
If First Star were to play really fair they should
release a Boulderdash
editor but I doubt if they will as it would cut
their throats financially with regards to Boulderdash.
Never mind, I must admit to thoroughly enjoying
Boulderdash
III
and would probably even cough up the tenner asked
for it.
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Graphics
73%
Effective and pretty looking bas-relief which
is quite strange if you're used to the normal
Boulderdash style graphics.
Sound
62%
The original Boulderdash
tune
makes another appearance and the usual tinkle,
tinkle, boom spot FX are in evidence.
Hookability
93%
As with all the games in the series
it's fiendishly addictive -- you feel you just
HAVE to solve each screen . . .
Lastability
93%
And nearly all of the screens
are difficult.
Value
For Money 88%
A tenner for a program which will
have you puzzling and playing for weeks!.
Overall
93%
If you want your hair to go grey
and drop out (if you don't tear it out beforehand)
then go out and buy this incredibly addictive
program.
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Htmlized
by Dimitris
Kiminas (15 Jan 2006)
Other
"Games of the Week!"
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