Part nostalgia-bomb, part note-taking and part FAQ, what started in GameTrailers as a video game blog is now on Blogger. This blog is a look back at video games, both popular and obscure, from the video game industry's infancy all the way to the previous console generation.
To reach the statue, you must pass the final trial.
Scene 1: Statue
The floating heads shoot fireballs at you and fly forward in a sine-wave pattern. Jump over the last two and avoid their fireballs.
You'll then face the final boss: the goddess of the temple. She will fly around, and when she fires a laser at the ground, the laser will produce a block. Avoid the debris that is produced from the laser, and kick the block into the goddess.
Every once in a while, the goddess will shoot four small fireballs downwards; avoid those. She has a shorter pause before the four-way shot compared to the laser shot.
After enough hits, the goddess will float upwards, then start teleporting all over the room. She has a five-way shot as well as a spiral shot that will fly towards her outstretched hands. There are three places where she can stand - the sides and the center - and she will do the spiral balls at the sides while shooting the five-way shot at the center.
At this rate, you won't get any more blocks, so wait for her to teleport to one of the sides and wait for the spiral balls to diminish. If you can time it right, you'll be right above her head as soon as the balls start to disappear, and you'll be able to hit her.
When you beat the goddess, Donald will put the necklace back on the goddess statue, then a crown will appear on its head. Donald takes the crown and heads home with it, then puts it on only to become a balloon himself. Scrooge, Huey, Dewey and Louie head back to the island to get Donald un-cursed while Donald is carried around on a string. The game then ends.
The first section has you jumping over water pits as piranhas jump in and out. You'll also start seeing a thing that will recur every now and then: expansive spike pits where you have to kick an iron block into it and then jump on it when it returns to travel over the pit.
The purple crabs come down from the waterfall endlessly.
In the second section, you'll have to kick a block into a crack in a low ceiling to get some water to leak out, which in turn will slowly push you to the right when you stand on it. Be ready to duck to avoid spikes.
In the third section, hit the chest at the far right, then keep running up the slopes and hitting each chest, grabbing chili peppers as you go.
In the fourth section, you'll see jars that shoot out crabs endlessly as long as you keep defeating them. The crabs only leap out to the left, though.
In the fifth section, you'll be going down slopes while trying not to fall into spikes. The platforms are safe zones, but only before they fall down under your weight. If you reach solid, even ground, however, spikes will start coming out from the left. You'll want to avoid those, too.
Use the chili pepper in the chest at the end of the sixth section to get through the wall of blocks.
Scene 2: Shrine 2
The ghosts move and back and forth, and stop to take a humanoid form. You can jump on them while in humanoid form to get past them.
Be careful on the platforms that move on the track on the background wall. If you see any statue heads in the wall, be ready to jump over their fireballs when you're lined up with them.
If you see a circle with an arrow on a background track, you can kick a block into it to change its direction, keeping the platform from hurling you into impending doom.
The blocks that look like a bridge inside the background wall go in and out. When they are bright, that means they are currently jutting out of the wall and you can stand on them. Just be ready to move before they recess back into the wall.
The statues with the spear will jab at you if you get too close. Jump before you reach to avoid getting skewered.
The torches that move up and down are platforms, but you can only stand on them when the fire is out. When the fire is out, however, the room goes dark, so you'd better know where to land before the flame comes back up.
The weights that slowly move up and then quickly drop back down can be used as platforms.
The ghosts in the third section will fly towards you, but you can jump on their heads to get rid of them. Also in the third section, you'll have to time your movements so that you can travel across a pit while two platforms are moving on background tracks at the same time.
The bridge at the end of the third section takes you to the fourth section when it disappears as you stand on it, sending you down a pit.
In the fourth section, you'll have to ride a log. The ancient tablets of the duck pointing will tell you whether to go down a pit or continue to take the high path in this auto-scrolling section. If you take the wrong path, you won't be reaching the end of this world.
You'll be jumping up platforms and avoiding bees at the start. At least you can jump on their heads afterwards.
Updrafts will send you to higher areas, but be careful not to fall into bottomless pits after being carried upwards.
The mountain goats will leap from one platform to another, and can be used to get to other areas.
There are multiple paths to take, and in case you defeat bees en route to a higher one, try looking for a lower one.
The logs that fall down the waterfalls can be used to go upwards as you jump from one to another.
At the top-right corner of the first section, there is a block that unleashes a geyser when kicked. The geyser will take you to another area above the clouds.
Blocks can be kicked upwards to break frozen waterfalls down and use them as platforms to reach new areas. They can also be forced downwards by mountain goats, so be careful. Bringing snow down can reveal some platforms you can use to get to the end, so keep an eye out for bright spots in the walls.
Scene 2: Ice Cavern
At the start, you'll be forced down into an ice cavern. The tiny abominable snowmen can be simply jumped on, but they also like throwing ice, too.
The ground is slippery in this section, and you can slide down quickly on the slopes.
The diamonds just gives you points.
Ice cubes act just like the light brown blocks, and they can sometimes be instantly replaced when used. They can also knock icicles off the ceiling to use as platforms across water. If you fall into the water, it is instant death.
To get past the yellow narwhals, kick an ice cube so it lands on the nose.
Be careful on ice platforms above water, as some segments will be raised from below by narwhals.
In the second section, you'll be riding ice platforms across water. Be ready to duck at times, as there are low spiked ceilings and the ramps will send you and the platform into them.
The third section is vertical. Be careful where you kick an ice cube, as it can send a small snowball tumbling down. Sometimes, you'll want this, as this will allow you to make room for new areas as well as to get out of the cave.
You'll then meet the falcon, who carries you to another area before chasing after you. This time around, the screen scrolls down as well as to the right, and you'll have to jump over bottomless pits as well. Whatever you do, don't let the falcon five into you, as it can grab you and potentially drop you above a pit.
You'll eventually run into a block that causes a geyser to blow the falcon away, allowing you to get the Quill of the Falcon and clear the level.
With all four treasures, Donald will throw the treasures in a sacred lake in the middle of the island to reveal the shrine. Welcome to the final area!
The stage starts with Donald Duck putting on a pink shirt and diving gear before jumping into the water. This happens automatically, and you have no control over it.
Gameplay underwater is mostly the same, except you can swim by jumping repeatedly. Unfortunately, you cannot defeat enemies by bopping them on the head.
Enemies include eels, fish, manta rays and even rocks from undersea volcanoes. If you plug a block into a small gap, you'll get rocks, but you can get power-ups...even an extra life.
In the second section, you will have to deal with schools of long fish. You'll have to go up, wait for one to pass by, then swim around while trying not to get hit by them. Watch out for the red fish and the sea urchin that moves back and forth on the ceiling at the beginning.
In the third section, you'll see urchins that stay in one spot. To the right of the start of the section is an extra life.
The thin blue-green fish that look like knives will drop down when you get close enough, and slowly move back up. You can walk across the gaps as they move back upwards.
The big snoring fish will try to suck you in. When they close their mouths, there won't be a current pulling you in any more; instead, you'll be pushed back (and hopefully, not into the spikes).
A bottomless pit with bubbles at the bottom will push you up.
Scene 2: Sunken Ship
The clam will chomp upwards in an attempt to attack if you get too close. Unfortunately for them, they can only jump so high.
Keep in mind that you need solid ground to kick a box, crate or chest...even if that means that the solid ground is another box, crate or chest.
The anemones will send any block sent into it up or down at an angle, depending on whether they are on a floor or ceiling. You'll need to do this to break some crates blocking your path.
The pink fish will puff up when hit with a block and slowly follow you.
The broken portholes will fall down when approached.
If you reach the surface of the water, get up on the platform from underneath to kick the box into the ceiling, breaking it to fill the area with more water and reach new areas.
The boss is a shark. This time, you'll be chased upwards. Pay attention to the shark to see where it will bite you from, and watch out for any ceilings, as they will immediately block your path and cause you to take an unwanted hit. Make sure you're not too far down so that the shark bites you.
You'll eventually reach the top and get back on the boat...and the shark will lose its golden jaws on the hook, allowing you to take the Golden Fang to end the level.
The moles will pop out of the floor and throw rocks at you, but you can jump on the rocks.
The crickets will jump back and forth.
The craters will shoot out lava, which will push a rock upwards to use as a platform.
In the second section, the bats will keep reappearing from certain spots and fly towards you as you make your way down. If you defeat a bat, it doesn't come back.
When the screen shakes, watch out for rocks from above. Be ready to hide under the nearby platforms where rocks can't reach you.
The boulders moving back and forth in the spike pits allow you to get over the pits. Thankfully, you can stand on them, and Donald will do the rest. It's up to you to hold Left or Right and then jump off when necessary.
Scene 2: Volcano 2
The boulders will now be in lava. At least the lava isn't instant death.
Doors in the wall will lead you to new areas.
The platforms above the volcanic cones will be knocked upwards by the lava coming out of the cones.
The flames move in a sine wave pattern. Some flames will come out of the lava and slowly move straight up.
There are also narrow platforms that sink in and out of the lava. Time your movements so that you get on them when they are coming up, and get to the next one.
The spiders swing back and forth like a pendulum when you jump on them once. Another jump on the head will defeat them.
You'll eventually enter a vertical auto-scrolling section where the lava rises from the bottom...and you can't afford to slow down here. Some platforms will rise with the lava, but will eventually be gotten rid of when they hit a ceiling. The treasure chest here contains a chicken, but it's more of a speed trap than anything else. I don't even bother getting it because of that.
When you reach the rock at the end, you'll be running across the volcano. Be ready to jump over boulders that come at you from both sides of the screen, and should you fall into the lava pit, it will not instantly kill you. When you reach the end, a rock will hit a wall, revealing the Ruby of Fire, giving you one more treasure and ending the level.
The story begins with Donald Duck asking Huey, Dewey and Louie where Scrooge McDuck is. All of a sudden, Scrooge is floating around like a balloon due to a curse from a mysterious pendant he found in a shrine on an uninhabited island. The pendant must be returned to the neck of a goddess statue inside the shrine, or else Scrooge is cursed to be a balloon forever. He gives Donald Duck his adventurer's diary to retrace his steps and find the island so he can return the pendant.
Donald Duck arrives at the island...and the adventure begins.
At the beginning of the game, there are four places you can go: the jungle, the valley, the inlet or the volcano. I start with the jungle.
The Jungle
Only those who possess the jungle king's crown may pass.
Scene 1: Savanna
Left and Right on the D-Pad let you move left and right, Button 1 attacks, and Button 2 kicks.
The heads up display is pretty simple. In the upper-left corner is the amount of lives you have, and in the lower-left is the amount of health you have.
Instead of being able to swing hammers or throw flying discs, you kick at things like blocks...and that kick has some nice animation going for it. You will have to kick blocks into enemies in order to move on, but you can also jump on them if a box is not available. To kick blocks, you'll need to walk into a block, keep holding the D-Pad towards the block, and then press Button 1.
Enemies include wolves that poke their heads out of the ground, sugar gliders that fly off branches, jumping kangaroos, and rolling snakes, You can sometimes get ice cream for replenishing your health if you defeat them. You can use blocks and other things if you want, but you can also jump on them to defeat them.
Kicking blocks can also reveal power-ups, such as money bags for points and ice cream for health. While the light brown blocks just go up and crumble upon landing, the dark blue ones travel forwards and can bounce back and forth in pits. This allows you to travel across spike pits, which is good, because spikes hurt.
Chests contain better power-ups. A chili pepper will make Donald Duck run very fast, allowing him to plow through enemies and large walls of blocks. The effect only lasts for a short time. You can also find a cooked chicken that restores all of your health.
The ostriches are like those horses in the first stage of Sunset Riders: you have to jump from one to the next and get to the tree branch at the right side, or else you're dead.
After you complete a section, you'll get bonus points for the round as well as for how much health you have left before going to the next one.
Scene 2: Jungle
Whenever you get hit, Donald will get angry and will be unable to move for a second. The animation is very much Donald and very well done, but it gets a little annoying after a while.
The snails slowly move back and forth and hide in their shells. The snakes pop their heads out of the trees to get in your way.
Look high and low for things. You never know what you'll find. You'll mostly want to stay on the top, however, if you want to get through the scene.
Some vines take you to other places, while there are also pairs of vines that raises one vine while you stand on - and lower - the other.
The red flower shoots out projectiles, but it only does it once.
The leaves in the trees have to be kicked loose with a block, and once you do that, you'll be able to ride it down to another area.
You'll eventually encounter a gorilla. Instead of fighting him, you'll be running away. Be ready to jump over spike pits and on top of walls, and watch out for the fruit that drops down from the top of the screen. For some reason, the blue flowers on the ground seem to hint as to when you need to jump. At the end, the gorilla will run into a huge tree, revealing the jungle king's crown and sending you back to the world map.
Despite having the same name as a 1970s British sitcom, this has nothing to do with the show starring Leonard Rossiter or Don Warrington. Instead, this is a type-in arcade-style game from Issue 4 of Acorn Programs from June/July 1984. In this game, you move left and right to collect all the droplets that you can in a bucket before the strength of the floor below your bucket completely weakens and gives way from all of the falling water droplets. In each stage, you have 60 seconds to survive until the carpenter shows up and re-strengthens the floor. The strength of the floor starts out at 100, but goes down by 5 every time a water droplet hits the floor.
The game starts out easy, but by the time you reach the third screen, the game becomes near-impossible to complete. It is very possible for a droplet to drop down in an area that you can't reach despite your best efforts, even when there are only so many areas in the ceiling where the water drops can drop down from at that point due to how fast the droplets are coming from. Good luck trying to reach even the fourth screen in this one. One session of this game will only last a few minutes, at most.
Is the game playable? Yes. Are there any problems with the controls? Absolutely not, from what I gathered. At the end of the day, this game gets really hard, really quickly, but at least it's enjoyable for what it is and how long it lasts. The graphics, while pretty crude, are easily identifiable and easy to pick apart. You'll only hear sounds when you either miss or catch a water droplet, but given how the BBC Micro is, especially with games from the first half of the 1980s, it's serviceable and something I can't complain about. It may be one of the earlier type in games for the system, but it's good for what it is.
