Producer: Gremlin Graphics
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £6.95
Language: Machine code
Author: S. Hollingworth
This is Gremlin Graphic's Spectrum follow up to Monty Mole. Originally released first on the CBM64, Potty Pigeon on the Spectrum is quite a different game and in a way more complex. The pigeon owns a nest in a tree with three ever-hungry chicks in it. What they want is worms and loads of them. Here and there across the linked screens there are heads up above ground, worms sticking their silly heads up above ground. Potty has to go around and collect them, one at a time, and fly them back to the nest. This costs him a lot of energy, which is replenished by catching the mayflies, not an easy task as dart about. Although if he walks his energy level also goes up.
Life would be just too easy for Potty if it weren't for those little hazards that make life interesting. In this case these include a busy helicopter, snap dragons, frogs, angry red birds, spiders and cars on the road in some screens (it was the cars that made up all of the CBM64 version). The landscape itself also poses problems as objects cut up the playing space, forcing Potty to fly dangerously close to some hazards. His sole means of defence is a natural function which pigeons have a habit of using all the while. It stuns the nasty for a few moments!
COMMENTS
Control keys: Q/W left/right, P/L up/down, N to SYM SHIFT to fire
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair 2
Keyboard play: responsive, well laid out
Use of colour: good
Graphics: quite good, smooth and detailed
Sound: above average
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3
Screens: 11
Monty Mole was hard to follow, Potty Pigeon is a good game but not in the super League! Generally the graphics are good, but are not all that exciting. The collecting theme here is not a new idea - it is alright but not very addictive. Potty Pigeon will not be remembered as much as Monty Mole, once a standard is set it has to be kept up to. Good but uninspiring.
Potty Pigeon is similar to the CBM64 version in name only. Feeding your chicks is no easy feat. The first load of screens are simple but on later levels it really gets hard. The graphics are good, though some of them are a bit small. The game itself is extreme fun to play and produces many thoughts such as, 'I've got to do better next time.' Potty Pigeon is a worthy successor to Monty Mole and I'm sure many people will like it enormously. Overall, it offers a good challenge to games players of all sorts and it's worth having in your Christmas stocking.
Potty Pigeon is a novel but simple idea, just collecting worms. It couldn't be easier could it, except for avoiding the odd helicopter, hawks, triffids and cars - even frogs are dangerous, but then again, it's all in the every day life of Potty the pigeon. Sounds thrilling, well I can assure you it gets very tiresome, repetitive and boring, and quite often frustrating. Frustrating for the simple fact that for no reason whatsoever, every now and again, you lose you hard-earned worm. Graphics are quite pretty, colourful and detailed, but I can't really say that there is a terrible amount actually moving and going on to keep you interested. They say it's the early bird that gets the worm, but sometimes it's the early bird that gets the bullet - in the back.
PERCY THE POTTY PIGEON
Gremlin Graphics
Memory: 48K
Price: £6.95
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair
Colourful scenes and excellent graphics ensure that Potty Percy is not just another flying pigeon pie in the sky.
Potty Pigeon is a proud papa, but his hungry young brood keep him busy searching for food. There are 11 locations where Percy will find big juicy wriggling worms. His baby feeding missions are hampered by lots of nasties determined to stop Percy including a big fat spider who swings from the tree where the chicks are nesting, a red bird that will steal the worms from Percy, giant killer Venus snapdragons, speeding traffic, helicopters and many more. Percy is also in constant danger of flying out of energy, which can only be replenished by resting on the ground or eating the mayflies.
Percy is no ordinary pigeon. He can perform counter-attack raids on the enemy by dropping deadly exploding eggs, which will score him points.
Progress is slower on the first level, but percy vere! There are a total of five levels and as you score points you will move into the higher levels, of which they are five.
The game is a delight to play. Although not as graphically complex as other games it will hold your interest with its gently addictive quality. Beware though, this game is not for crawlers.
PRICE: £6.95
PUBLISHER: Gremlin Graphics 0742-753423
Potty Pigeon is an average arcade game which uses a good variety of colours, but unfortunately hasn't the graphics to go with them.
Percy, dad of three very hungry chicks, has to keep his greedy family supplied with worms which are scattered at random around the screen. But alas, there are dangers involved, for although Percy is blessed with three lives he has to face horrific obstacles.
He has to avoid speedy cars, noisy planes, paratroopers, dogs, cats, creepy spiders, killer Venus snapdragons, frogs, Unidentified Flying Objects and humans - all of which may prevent him from performing his paternal duties. Doing the worm rounds saps Percy's energy and to restore his fading strength he has to eat a Mayfly which hovers at the top of the screen.
With all these dangers it's lucky that Percy is equipped with exploding eggs which he may utilise in several ways. As he ploughs through the eleven sheets, he may bomb a Red Bird (which, incidentally, steals worms from Percy at every opportunity) or he may confuse drivers by dropping these eggs and dirtying the car Windscreen.
This effect makes them crash and enable Percy to snatch up the wriggling worm and rush back (carefully) to feed his young chicks.
Compared with the Commodore 64 version this is, I'm afraid, a decidedly poor substitute.
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