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	When this type of arcade adventure format first appeared in Pyjamarama, it was refreshingly new and original. Everyone's a Wally continued with the same sort of trend, except you had the interesting new approach of multi-character control introduced. Now with Herbert's Dummy Run there's only a new character, some new problems and little else original to offer. I found its lasting appeal was low as the game wasn't as involving as its predecessors and it turned out to be easier to complete. Nevertheless, it's bound to prove popular with fans of the first two games, but I think Mikro-Gen ought to come out with something a touch more original next time. .

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!

Herbert's Dummy Run
1985 Mikro-Gen
Programmed by ?

Most text of the present article comes from the review published in the fourth issue of the British C64 magazine ZZAP!64 (August 1985).

HERBERT'S DUMMY RUN
Mikro-Gen, £9.95 cass, joystick or keys

It appears that Wally Week has passed on nearly all his attributes from Pyjamarama to his son in his new game. The game follows the same pattern of true aardvarking with similar puzzles.

The action takes place in a department store where wee Herbie has got separated from his parents (they play a supporting, not say 'supportive', role in the Lost and Found department). In order to get reunited he has to find the l'n'f dept and get them down from the top of an escalator. This isn't as simple as it sounds, because he's first got to solve puzzles in order to get the right equipment.

The store has four floors, each with several rooms, and these are connected by a lift and sometimes a flight of stairs as well. In every room there is an object but you can only carry two at a time. These are what you use to crack puzzles.

What can you do with a chocolate ten pence
and a tennis racquet apart from get sticky
fingers and strain spaghetti?

The lift selection room is like the one in Pyjamarama but substitutes four faces for the original light bulbs which smile when selected.

There are rooms that take the form of simple arcade games, like Breakout, Space Invaders and a Duck Shoot. In these you may need a particular object to play the game and another object may be your reward for completing it. You've given two clues; that you'll need a tennis racquet to hit a tennis ball and a bomb to bomb buildings, but you won't get anymore clues out of us -- YET.

Herbert can jump up and walk down stairs while if he tries to get a lift on the wrong floor he'll be in for a long drop. If he hits one of the moving nasties that abound on most screens it will make him cry. If he cries too much he'll fill up a large teardrop and have a cloud rain on his head as he loses a life.

You can stem the tide of Herbert's tears with goodies like cakes, lollies and sweets that are strewn around. If you are careless enough to lose all Herbert's three lives you are given a score in jelly babies (his favourite treat), the better you've done the more you get.

Pleeeeeeeease not ANOTHER Pyjamarama game. At least Everyone's a Wally had the interest of controlling five separate characters. Herbert's Dummy Run reverts to the classic formula of the first Wally game. With similar sorts of puzzles and identical gameplay, I found myself soon getting bored. The puzzles themselves aren't particularly hard and to the fans of this genre the game will not present too much challenge. The graphics are very, very similar to Pyjamarama and either my telly speaker's broken or there's not much sound during the game. I hope Mikro-Gen think up something new for the next in the Wally series, another one of these would just be too much.
.

The problems are a little more devious than in Pyjamarama but the game is easier than Everyone's a Wally. The graphics of all the different departments in the store are colourful and detailed, and in fact I think they are a touch better than

are a touch better than

EAW. The title music is suitably 'Baby Face', which could drive you mad, but it's not played during the game fortunately. The animation is quite good on Herbert and on some of the nasties -- I liked the expanding Z's. Despite having the same game concept as Pyjamarama, the completely different layout and new set of problems means that this should pose as much of a challenge. However, I do hope Mikro-Gen won't fall into the trap of repeating the formula too often. Perhaps a good idea might be a 'budget' Wally range of good simple games and keep the higher priced ideas beefed up to make really innovative games.
.

Presentation 64%
Reasonable instructions and the odd Mikro-Gen box.

Graphics 72%
Very similar to Pyjamarama.

Sound 29%
So's the sound.

Hookability 65%
If you like Wally games.

Lastability 56%
This one's a bit too easy.

Value For Money 59%
Too much like the others to warrant a ten quid price tag.

Overall 59%
Not a lot different from the others in the series.
.

Htmlized by Dimitris Kiminas (9 May 2002)

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