PrinceWatercress plays Cool Spot (SMS) - Part 3 of 4

If you thought you could avoid the wading pool level...sorry, you're still gonna have to do it.

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Wading Around

You'll start at the bottom of the pool. You'll need pinpoint accuracy to land on the platforms while shooting at the frogs that will spit at you. You'll also need to make some leaps of faith to reach some of the lily pads. If you land in the water, it's instant death.

Once you get above the pool, be ready to jump on some UFO platforms and jump off when you get on them, as they will tilt and send you down as soon as you get on them. Also, be ready to shoot down some planes that fly back and forth. Just listen for the buzzing sound.

There are a few areas will you need to drop down and return to an earlier point just to get some cool points and other things, including some time.

Look for strings! Those will show you where the blimps you can land on are. Just stay away from the edges; you can still slide off those.

There is a big spot on the right end of the first red rocket platform. The red rocket platforms are slanted and will cause you to slide off, but you can jump back in the other direction to save yourself. 

You should be 84% cool when you find the cage. The last 16% will be off the left edge of the blimp, and there will be a bubble that carries you back up above everything else you need to collect.

Bonus Level 5

The second "I" will be at the top with all of the other power-ups, all the way to the right. For best results, keep holding Button 2 to ensure you always bounce off a bubble.

Back To The Wall

We're now repeating stage themes, as this one is the same as Off The Wall but with a different level layout.

There are a lot of spiders to shot down in the level. Good thing you can shoot through walls and ceilings, right? 

Bonus Level 6

The "N" will be in the upper-right corner. You'll need to criss-cross your way across the bubbles to that corner to get to it.

PrinceWatercress plays Cool Spot (SMS) - Part 2 of 4

Can you believe we're halfway through this game already?

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Off The Wall

Check behind the pipe at the start for cool points.

Be be ready to avoid nails, barbed wire and mouse traps. You may have to make a running stat to avoid some hazards, as you don't have much room for error with the barbed wire and the mouse traps. As for enemies, you've got spiders, mice in pajamas that throw cheese at you.

The gray rods with the cables coiled around them can be climbed on. Just jump towards them and hold Up or Down to grab on.

Bonus Level 3

The "R" is in the upper-left corner, near the left wall.

By "A button," I of course mean Button 2. That's what I get for emulating.

There's a lot of points at the top, so be ready to brave mines and ride a few bubbles upwards to score easily.

Radical Rails

We're at the midpoint already!

Just like on the 16-bit systems, you've got a ton of slopes to slide down and a few columns you can rocket upwards. The cage will be in the upper-left corner of the level, so all you need to do is slide around, jump up the slopes when necessary, and go through every nook and cranny to find as many cool points as you can. There's also a 1-Up at the bottom in addition to the one you'll find somewhere in the maze, so if you know what you're doing, you can get three extra lives coming out of this area.

Bonus Level 4

The "G" will be near the upper-left corner, and it will take a while to get to it if you're not used to how spread apart all of the bubbles are. You'll also find four big cool point icons in that actual corner, which can be a big plus in case you're low on points in this area.

PrinceWatercress plays Cool Spot (SMS) - Part 1 of 4

After seeing this version of the game on and off, I decided to try it for myself. Not bad.

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Just like in the 16-bit versions of the game, you'll need to collect the red dots that act as Cool Points, get beakers of red liquid to replenish health, collect 1-ups and shoot down the locks on the cages when you get enough Cool Points to free your fellow Spot and move on to the next stage.

Unlike the 16-bit versions, however, there are fewer stages due to the amount of space to work with, and some of the level types from the more powerful hardware don't even get an 8-bit rendition, with the music from one of the removed types being used only at the ending.

Left and Right let you move left and right, Button 1 shoots projectiles and Button 2 jumps. Holding Up and Down lets you look up and down if you're standing still. You can use the D-Pad to aim while attacking. At the bottom of the screen, you have your score, your current time left (which causes you to lose a life if you run out of it), your current health and lives and your current percentage on the cool meter. The health meter is Spot's face, which vanishes more and more the more damage you take. Drinking the beakers of red liquid will increase your health.

Shell Shock

Just like on Genesis and Mega Drive, there's a cool point behind the bottle at the start. You'll need to pick up those red spots to bring up your cool meter. The big ones with the V on them will be worth more. You'll need at least 60% to break the lock on the cage containing your fellow Spot so you can free them and move on to the next level. If you get even more cool points, you can get the bonus level.

For this area, be sure to check the nook and crannies of this level, especially around the big beach chair, 

The enemies here are just like when I played it a while back: the hermit crabs that move back and forth and lose their shells when you hit them once, the dragonflies that hover around in the air, and the crabs that come out of the holes to snip at you with their claws.

The hands with the clocks give you extra time. These things are few and far between, and the game barely gives you enough time to explore, find everything and finish the level without losing a life due to time running out.

The flags are checkpoints. Hit them so you don't return to the start when you die.

The hands that are pointing in a certain direction will tell you where to go. When you reach the far right end of the stage, you'll be pointed towards balloons you can grab and jump from as well as bubbles you can bounce off of. Hold the jump button to bounce higher This will make for a good amount of the cool points that you'll get in this level, so explore the top of the level before breaking the cage.

When moving left or right, you'll start out slow, then move at a quicker pace like in the Sonic games, just like in the 16-bit counterparts. Keep this in mind.

Bonus Level 1

You'll need to be 80% cool at the end of a level to access the bonus game.

You'll have a limited amount of time to bounce off all the bubbles - which do come back after a few seconds - to get all the cool points before you run out of time. This is easy now, but it will get harder. You can find some bonus time, but you'll only be able to do it once in all of these bonus levels.

The "V" is in the top center of the bonus level. Spell "VIRGIN" to get more continues.

Pier Pressure

Ah, the dock level. I remember this.

You'll have worms crawling all over the ropes, crabs walking back and forth, bees flying around and oysters ready to spit at you.

You can climb on the ropes with Up and Down on the D-Pad while in front of a rope. You can also change the direction you can fire by tapping Left or Right, which makes it easier to shoot to the side.

The jacks are sharp objects and will hurt you.

If you don't know where to go, see if there is a wall you can see through, and go through it. That will usually help you out. Be sure to jump around in the walls that you can pass through; it 

There are fish in some of the pools of water on the floor, and they will take multiple hits to defeat. Take them down before they do the same to you.

Spot will faceplant if you drop from too far down, and while it does not hurt you, it does stun you for a second.

Some enemies will drop health if you defeat them...if you can grab the health without accidentally scrolling it off-screen, that is!

If you lose a life, enemies stay dead, and your time will instantly be refilled.

Bonus Level 2

The mines blow up when you run into them, and they will do damage.

Make your way up on the left side to get the first "I". 

The smaller bubbles will carry Spot upwards briefly if you jump into them. Be ready to hold Button 2 to jump higher when the bubbles blow up and Spot launches upwards.

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 6 of 6

Time to bring this game to a close.

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Stage 5 is where things really get hard. Avoid as many fish as possible, and get that invincibility! As for the boss battle, you'll really want to time it so that you can send the steel drums into the boss.

Stage 6 is easy when you know what to do; it's the boss that's a real pain. Avoid the fruit as you shoot down the hands, then aim at the light in the center as normal while picking up the bottles of Fat-B-Gone to ensure you stay thin.

Once you beat this loop, that's the real end of the game! You just beat Yume Penguin Monogatari!

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 5 of 6

That was a close one.

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Grab everything that you can in Stage 3. Also, get the flight power-up and hold on to it for dear life, because you'll want to get to the goal with as little difficulty as possible so you can take on Frosting Man with ease.

In Stage 4, don't run into anything! As crucial as it was in Stage 2, it is even more crucial here. If you can get the missiles early, make sure you save them, as they will help you tear through the enemies. The screen-clearing power-up really helps here, too. As for the boss, watch out for those eggs and don't get hit by him when he is big, as you don't want time to run out during the boss battle.

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 4 of 6

It's time for the second loop of the game, and it's definitely more difficult compared to the first one.

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Compared to the first loop, you have less leeway when it comes to your weight, as you'll gain a lot more weight for eating something you shouldn't. You also get seven seconds off each clock instead of fifteen, so avoiding running into enemies is crucial. Also, you get far less of a weight loss bonus for all the time you have left.

In Stage 1, the birds will drop blue ball enemies that split into four fruits that travel diagonally. You'll also have rolling rocks that you'll need to avoid. 

In Stage 2, you want to stay away from everything. Shoot what you can and take any bottles and power-ups you can, but if you run into anything, you'll be back to normal, or worse, brought to a chubby weight.

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 3 of 6

The game may be over, but there's a second loop to keep players busy.

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Stage 5

Don't fall into the water, whatever you do, as it will ruin your chances of beating the stage with an ideal weight. Watch those platforms, and watch out for the fish that dive out of the water!

The gorillas throw coconuts; be ready to avoid them when they drop down. The jellyfish will be flying around, but if you're thin, you can easily get rid of them.

The octopus tentacles act as platforms. Watch out for the rice cakes that the octopus spits out. Hold A while jumping to float.

The M icon gives you invincibility. It will help you on the way to the whale, whose blowhole will be able to take you to the pirate ship where you will face Captain Ginta.

The guys with the helmets are the same as the enemies that throw fruit from the earlier stages.

Captain Ginta will throw steel barrels around, and they will bounce around at angles. You'll need to hit the barrels with your attack and make it so that the barrels hit Captain Ginta in the back, or else he will throw the barrels back at you. If the barrels turn red, they are about to disappear. Hitting Ginta will net you bottles of Fat-B-Gone. Also, you'll want to avoid the fruit that he throws at the same time. This boss battle will take some practice.

After this, Ginji will kidnap Penko for real, and Penta will have to save her.

Stage 6

Fun music here.

Hold Right to go down the ramp and jump close to the bottom of the ramp, and hold A to float over the water. Keep attacking all the walruses. You'll need the power-ups.

To beat the boss, take out the hands while avoiding the fruit that they throw. When the gloves are destroyed, attack the visor at the top of the head. When it opens up, get some shots in, then move to the side to avoid the laser. Also, be ready to avoid the rice cakes that Ginji throws while grabbing the bottles. After enough shots, Penka will hook back with Penta only to become overweight herself. It's also going to be time for the second loop, which is much harder...get ready!

If you beat the boss while still fat, Penka thanks you saving her, but tells you that you're still fat and runs off with Ginji afterwards. What was the point?

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 2 of 6

Things get a little more interesting - and a little more difficult - as we move through the middle of the game.

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Stage 3

The bugs hop up and down, so be careful when you approach or fight them. As for the little guys carrying what look like watermelons, take them down from a distance so you don't get hit by their projectiles.

The H icon allows you to wear a propellor hat. Keep tapping A to fly your way upwards through this vertical stage. You'll lose it if you get hit, so stay away from enemies as much as you can while wearing it. It beats using the cloud platforms throughout the stage.

The green guys on the parasols will follow you around and shoot at you, and they'll usually carry the bottles.

You'll soon meet Frosting Man. To beat him, you'll need to attack the flames on the candles. As this goes on, you'll want to dodge the four-way shoot shots that alternate directions...and hands. The right hand shoots left, while the left hand shoots right. As you do damage, bottles will drop down. Get them if you can. Once both flames are out, it's over, and it's on to the desert.

Stage 4

Time for more flying.

Do not hit any walls, floors or ceilings; this will make your way balloon like no tomorrow and it'll make things harder.

When you enter an indoor area, watch the rice cake spitters and make your move when you know you can't get hit. This can take some practice, and no matter how much practice you get, it can still be a bit dicey.

You'll want to pick your battles when fighting the enemies, such as the ghosts that fly towards you, the circle-shaped enemies that move around in a circle, or the blobs that turn into stars that fly upwards. There's a lot in this level that can hit you.

The A icon is a screen-clearing bomb that destroys all enemies and causes them to drop any pick-ups they may have. This is good, because the part where you're going to get it is swarming with enemies.

The boss is a green bird named Grah. Avoid the pigs and get the bottles. When Grah splits into three smaller birds, attack those birds. When you're down to one bird, that bird will bounce around at 45-degree angles. Anticipate where it will go and attack accordingly. Now for the beach...

PrinceWatercress plays Yume Penguin Monogatari - Part 1 of 6

After having seen this one in action, I've wanted to try this one out. Glad I did, because it's full of that classic Konami goodness, even if it never left Japan.

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The game begins with Penko, a pink penguin, dumping Penta, a blue penguin, for another blue penguin named Ginji who is also some sort of jerk. Penko tells Penta she will only get back with him if he loses weight and stops being fat. Ginji mockingly tells Penta to get some Fat-B-Gone from his gang if he wants to slim down...and it's obvious Ginji's gang will not be giving it up easily. Penko then tells Penta to come see her and Ginji at the top of the waterfall after slimming down if he really loves her.

When you start the game, you'll enter a brief tutorial. Left and Right moves left and right, A jumps, and B attacks. Picking up clocks increases the time you have left, which is on the lower-left corner of the screen. Picking up the yellow and purple bottles of Fat-B-Gone will decrease your weight meter at the bottom center of the screen. The purple bottles slim you down more than the yellow ones.

Stage 1

First things first: if you do not move the pink bar on the weight meter past where the broken heart is, you cannot clear the stage. It starts out near the left side at the first, but it will move more and more to the right as you progress. If you grab any food that isn't a Fat-B-Gone bottle, you'll get fatter, and if you fall into water, you'll get super-fat. Thankfully, the two enemies that Ginji gives the Fat-B-Gone to before each stage begins will be the ones carrying the Fat-B-Gone.

Your attack is a close range kick at first, but if you can get thin, you'll be able to shout at your enemies and hit them from a much farther range. This is what you want, as it allows you to attack enemies from a better distance.

If you collide into enemies, you'll lose ten seconds of time. This is something you do not want to do, as the hits can add up and make things harder...so avoid enemies, defeat them to get stuff, and collect those clocks!

The bugs move back and forth, and sometimes, they will jump around. The guys in the masks will move around and throw fruit that makes you fat if you eat it. You'll also want to avoid the fruit in the trees, as it makes you fat as well. The fish leap in and out of the water, and the hippos drop down and land on the ground before falling to the bottom of the screen. Enemies can drop clocks as well as Fat-B-Gone Bottles, but they can give other power-ups as well.

The volcano in the background shoot out rice cakes that make you fat if you hang around it long enough.

At the waterfall, use the logs that are drifting downwards to get from platform to platform. Hippos will drop down from the center at regular intervals, and you'll need to watch out for them. When you reach the top of the water, get to the pink phone to clear the level. You'll get a weight loss bonus for all the time you have left, and the more time you have, the more weight you'll lose when you grab the phone.

When Penta picks up the phone, Penko tells him that he will have to fly and fight Pooh's Pig Cruiser. Love how Penko has a top-of-the-line for the time cellphone thanks to Ginji.

Stage 2

The game has now decide to become a horizontal shooter. A and B both shoot, and I alternate between both buttons to shoot more quickly. Whatever you do, don't run into anything in the flying stages, as it just makes you fat if you do.

The H icon allows you to shoot missiles instead of pellets. The missiles move faster and pierce through enemies in addition to being stronger shots. If you get hit, however, you'll switch back to the pellets and you'll have to earn the missiles again. You can also get the missiles if you reach the question mark at the far right of the weight meter.

Don't touch the rice cakes or the spiked balls; they will make you fat. The rice cakes shooters shoot rice cakes left and right and switch directions at regular intervals.

You'll eventually face Captain Pooh and his Pooh Cruiser. Shoot at the pig nose in the center, and avoid the fruits will picking up the Fat-B-Gone bottles. Pooh will move forward and then back, and you'll need to anticipate when he does this so you don't get hit by anything.

After this, Penko tells Penta that she will be waiting at the top of a cake.

PrinceWatercress plays Young Merlin - Part 8 of 8

This game is finally over. Thankfully, things get easier after the second boss, but not by much. Either way, this game is beatable.

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Shadow Palace Tracks Map (by 573w3)

The next door you need to get to is in the lower-right corner. To get there, get back on the mine cart, then go right until you can't anymore and turn upwards. Once again, be ready to avoid breaks in the track. Turn right as soon as you are able, then hold up and take the path north and take the turn left. Hold Down to turn at the third intersection, then turn right as soon as you're able. Hold Down before the broken tracks to turn, then hold Left to left immediately afterwards. From here, you no longer have to turn at any more intersections; you just need to worry about avoiding the broken parts of the track with the D-Pad on the way to the door. I've labeled this path with red lines on the map.

At the door, use the snowflake in front of the door to open it. You'll still have the torch to burn all on-screen enemies, so keep that in mind. Equip the magic mirror and the star. Use the mirror to distract the smaller pigs, and use the powder and the star to defeat the giant pig like you did at the beginning of the game. You'll save the fairy, who somehow got kidnapped, and your health will be refilled.

From here, you'll need to head to the door in the upper-left corner. You'll need to take the turns that led you here, and after you're able to go up and right from the path leading to the second door, wait until you're going east and hold Up at the fifth intersection to turn. Hold Left to turn at the second intersection you see going north, and you'll head straight there. This path is outlined with the pink line on the map above. Congratulations. The worst is over. Put the bubble blower in the door. You're riding free and easy now and you're only going to have to worry about the boss battles from now one.

Remember the ooze monster from the Dwarven Palace. Well, guess what, you'll need to fight him again. Thankfully, fighting him is the same as ever: wait for him to split into multiple parts and freeze them with the powder before hitting them with the stars. This time around, however, since you have less room, you'll have to use the magic mirror to keep the boss from following you around and keep the slime pieces in one place so you can defeat them all more easily. The more you can destroy at once, the better. Just be aggressive with the powder, throw a few stars, and throw the powder again. Beating this boss again will free Casolari, who refills your health.

Now for the door in the upper-right. Just ride the mine cart all the way to the right, just as the green line signifies. That's it. Use the lantern on the door to open it. Head south, then take the left fork to the south and follow the path to find Melody...and the Shadow King!

To defeat the Shadow King, you'll need to equip the magic mirror and the torch. Use the magic mirror to the eyes and use torch to destroy the eyes more easily regardless of where they fly. Keep an eye on the torch so you can use it when the flame is lit again.

The Shadow King will then transform into some sort of winged minotaur-like beast. Use the balloon to get the bomb to explode on you yet fail to damage you. When the room gets dark, use the torch, then equip the mirror and use it in front of the Shadow King to get his shadow orbs to explode on your clone. He will then fly to the right. Head to the left and throw a star at the ball which contains Melody to free her. Melody will give you an amulet, which you'll need to equip. 

Equip the hourglass and use it to get away from the Shadow King when he dives as you head back to the right. From here, you'll need to move to him, then get back to the left when he dives at you and use the amulet. The amulet throws lightning bolts around at random angles, and sometimes the lightning will hit the Shadow King. The amulet has a cool down period, much like snowflake, torch and lightning bolt before it, and you'll need to wait for it to flash yellow again before you can use it again. The closer you are to the Shadow King before you use it, the better.

Once you hit the Shadow King enough times, you'll beat the game. Merlin will reunite with Melody and Sherm, then the fairy tries to warn Merlin about the two Meanies at the balcony above ready to drop a big brick on Merlin only to fail. When the brick hits, everything turns black. Merlin eventually wakes up back outside of his home, with the amulet falling out of his grasp as he heads towards his house, signifying that it was not a dream. A Meanie then shows up and takes the amulet, and Merlin chases after the Meanie as the game ends.

If you collect all the health extensions, you'll get special text after the ending telling you that you are in the running for a contest mentioned in the manual, which ended long ago. You just beat Young Merlin!

PrinceWatercress plays Young Merlin - Part 7 of 8

In this entry, we enter the third and last mine cart section...and it's anything but fun.

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Pinedale Map (by 573w3)

Rainbow World Map (by 573w3)

Tunnels Map (by 573w3)

Time to head back to the dragon just so we can defeat it. The lightning bolt attacks and defeats all on-screen minor enemies, so you won't need the torch or the snowflake anymore. When you get back to the dragon, use the hourglass to stop time, use the lightning bolt to attack, then get on the other side of the dragon. Keep doing this until the dragon is defeated.

Shadow Palace Tracks Map (by 573w3)

Defeating the dragon reveals an entrance to another chamber. Guess what? It's the third and final mine cart section. There are four doors, but only three are blocked by balls that bounce you back if you run into them. The only one that is not blocked at the start is in the lower-left corner, so here's what you need to do.

Get on the mine cart. Go all the way down and be ready to avoid broken pieces of track, because you'll be doing that again here. Take the turns across the south end of the area, then keep going north until you can't go north anymore. This will allow you to turn right. Go as far to the right as you can, and avoid the broken track as you make your way north. Go into the wall. You'll take a hidden passage, and in the middle of it, you'll get the final health extension.

From the hidden passage, turn right on the sixth intersection on the way north. Turn down, then follow the path and hit the spring. You'll need to loop back around, but you'll need to turn left just before you re-enter the hidden passage, which is the fifth intersection you see on the way down. This takes you straight to the first door. You'll need to place the lightning bolt in the door before you can open the door to go in.

Use the magic mirror in front of the mirror on the wall to go through the mirror. Make sure you equip the snowflake, as you're going to have to fight the big spider from Rainbow World again before you can rescue Sterm. Thankfully, the same strategies apply, with the only difference being that you're in a much bigger room. You may have to use the snowflake twice to re-freeze the cocoon, but at least you'll hit the big spider every time.

Eventually, the cocoon will be destroyed, and the big spider will spit webs to the side that spawn a bunch of spiders. Place the clone to the side with the mirror so he aims at that, and keep freezing him. You'll eventually save Sherm and shake hands with him before getting your health refilled.

PrinceWatercress plays Young Merlin - Part 6 of 8

The rainbow gem opens up a whole new world...and a whole new set of headaches.

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Elven Hollow Map (by 573w3)

Pinedale Map (by 573w3)

Since you've found out what the rainbow gem, it's time to use it for what it was meant for. Head to Pinedale and go back to the portal, then use the rainbow gem at the portal. You'll be able to enter a whole new world...which is also another maze.

Rainbow World Map (by 573w3)

Tunnels Map (by 573w3)

The flowers are teleporters, and you'll have to find some open ones in order to use them. For now, enter the tunnel. Make your way to the lower-right corner first so that you can get a health extension. From here, you'll need to find an opening that leads elsewhere, and that is west of the health extension.

Destroy the mushrooms to get the wooden heart, then use the teleporters to open up the rest of the teleporters in the aboveground maze. There will be another one near the goblin, who can be destroyed with the torch, even though he will eventually come back.

You'll have to go through more of the tunnels to open up more of the area. As for the teleporters, they will take you to a random location, and you'll want to keep going through the same one over and over again to open everything up. Keep in mind that the flower teleporters close when you leave this maze and that you will have to open them back up when you return.

There is an area with moving mushrooms with a passage to the west hidden by the flowers. This leads to a health extension.

The small flowers will surround and attack you, so stay away from them.

Back in Pinedale, use the wooden heart at the stump with the heart-shaped imprint in it. The first one will create a mound that you will need to put the yellow tulip in, and that will give you a silver star that is more powerful than the one you started with. You'll also get a password. The second one will create a mound you'll need to place the rose from the maze in, and doing that will net you a comb.

Head back to Rainbow World and open the area up. You'll need to use the comb to get past the small flowers, as the good looks you get from using the comb in front of them will stun them. This will allow you to get the third wooden heart. Head back to that tree and use the third wooden heart, then plant the white flower from the fairy's pond to get a snowflake. The snowflake will hit all on-screen enemies with a blast of cold weather and stun them, in addition to destroying all minor enemies on-screen.

Eventually, you'll have to make your way back into the tunnels and use them to get to a giant spider. You'll want to equip the magic mirror and the snowflake. Freeze the cocoon with the snowflake, then switch to the star and hit the frozen cocoon. Use the magic mirror to get the tiny spiders out of your way, then keep doing the whole snowflake-star-snowflake-star thing, occasionally using the mirror to keep the small spiders out of your way. You'll keep freezing the cocoon, but you'll also freeze the big spider every time, too. If you do get a spider on you, use the torch to burn it, as the spiders can burn through your health. Eventually, you'll defeat the big spider, and you'll get a fourth wooden heart and access to more of the tunnels. Use the snowflake to get rid of the red ants so you can get out of here safely.

From here, enter the tunnels entrance east of the small flower enemies guarding the wooden heart. You'll see some buttons and a gate, but you won't be able to get past the gate...yet. Instead, make your way through the tunnels until you find an opening in a wall in the middle of a path. Enter that, then take out the red mushrooms and get the flower behind them.

From here, head back to Pinedale, use the fourth wooden heart on the stump, and plant the flower that you just found. This will get you an hourglass, which you'll need to use to get past the gate, as it stops time for a few seconds when you use it. Now you'll have to do a bunch of backtracking to get to the gate, stand on the button, use the hourglass to stop time briefly, and get the fifth wooden heart and the red flower near it. From here, go to the opening in the lower-left corner of the maze. Use the hourglass to get past the dragon and get another health extension. This is the last one in the area.

Head back to the stump in Pinedale and use the fifth and final heart and plant the last flower to get the lightning bolt - your most powerful attack - and a password. Despite what I say here, we are going to have to go back...

PrinceWatercress plays Young Merlin - Part 5 of 8

The Shadow King knows we're getting close now...

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Elven Hollow Map (by 573w3)

Sterm's Mine Map (by 573w3)

Flooded Cavern Map (by 573w3)

Dwarven Palace Map (by 573w3)

Welp, time to head all the way back to the guard in the Dwarven Palace, now that you have the mirror. That's right, there's even more annoying backtracking! Stand to the side and use the magic mirror. This will create a clone of yourself that you can move for a short period of time, and this clone can be moved straight past the guard to the other side.

You'll find an elf chained to the wall. Use the key to free him, and you'll get a password. You'll also see a hole. Walk into the hole and you'll land on...another mine cart skateboard. Joy.

Dwarven Mine Map (by 573w3)

And now for the solution! The red line is the starting path, the green line is after the first spring, the yellow line is after the second spring, and the pink line is after the last spring you need to hit. 

This time around, you'll need to move the mine cart to avoid broken pieces of track, which makes things even more of a nightmare. You'll not only have to worry about plotting a course, but also avoiding broken sections of track that will knock the mine cart/makeshift skateboard off the track if you don't lean away from them. I wouldn't be surprised if this is where a lot of players gave up.

Travel south, and once you turn left, be ready to turn right at the third intersection. Keep going forward, and bounce off the spring. Turn left at the fifth intersection, and keep going until you bounce off another spring.

From here, keep going forward. Turn left before you hit the spring on the right hand side (or else you're just going to keep bouncing back and forth until you do). The third intersection on the way north lets you turn left; turn there. Move past all the intersections, and be ready to turn left. Keep going until you hit another spring.

From there, you'll need to head back. That means turning right at the last turn you took, then holding Down to avoid the spring on the way back (hitting it will take you back to the . This time, you'll want to turn left at the second intersection you see as you head south. When you make the turn, move past all the other intersection and be ready to hold Down to make the turn. After a jump over a pit, you'll be at the other side. Merlin will land on the ball of ore near the ore pile and automatically grab it, so that will be in your inventory now.

Move into the path of the ore buckets to be taken back to the machine in the palace, and use the ball of ore on the processing machine to get the purple gem, which is the last one. When you leave, however, you'll have to face the Goblin King. Use the Magic Mirror to distract the three flying eyes that he sends at you so you can easily destroy them. After doing this three times, the Goblin King will put up his dukes. You actually have to run into him, get punched, and lose nearly all of your health from being knocked into the wall to get him to go away and continue on with the game.

From here, you'll need to backtrack all the way to the lake and throw the purple gem in. This nets you two items: a torch that can be used as a weapon as well as a rainbow gem. You'll also get another password to copy down just before everyone in Pinedale - Sherm, Melody and Casolari - gets kidnapped by the Shadow King by means of the Meanies. They will then use a rainbow gem much like the one you got at the portal to carry everyone into the Shadow King's realm. Looks like it's up to you to save the day.

PrinceWatercress plays Young Merlin - Part 4 of 8

We got a lotta pushin' to do.

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Elven Hollow Map (by 573w3)

Sterm's Mine Map (by 573w3)

Flooded Cavern Map (by 573w3)

Dwarven Palace Map (by 573w3)

As soon as you enter the stone archway, you'll be met with a new puzzle and a fire blocking your path. There are three bowls to put things in. Put rainbow water from the lake at the start in the left bowl, the clear water from the spring near where the pig enemies were in the center bowl, and the blue water from the fairy's lake in the right bowl. The only things hinting at these waters are a rainbow, a yellow flower near the stream near the pigs, and the white daffodil from near the fairy's lake, respectively. Putting the correct waters in the correct bowls will get rid of the fire. If you don't put all three waters in the correct order, you'll have to go all the way back, re-collect the waters, return here, and then put the waters in the right place. Talk about annoying! At least you can use the spring to get back to the blue gem area.

Once the fire is out, go left and use the balloon near the ledge above once you move the plaques out of the way. You'll elevate yourself up to an area that you usually couldn't reach to get a health extension. To get back down, just move down in a specific spot and Merlin will drop down.

On the way right, you can move around south of the lava. 

The four arrows logo on the floor can be used to reset puzzles. Just use the four arrows item like any other item, and you'll reset the nearby puzzle while reappearing on the nearest logo. Thankfully, completed puzzles don't get reset.

Pushing the next plaque onto the button lets you head north, where you'll have to get more plaques on more buttons. You'll need to push the three next to each other in position first, then move the other two. Keep in mind that the plaques can only be moved around on the checkerboard floor, but you can push them from outside said floor.

Head to the north. For the next puzzle, you'll need to get all four plaques on the left, then move them into place. That's all you need to do. The door opens up with the plaques disappearing. There will be a soldier past the door, and you won't be able to get past him...yet. But at least these puzzles are done.

For now, head back, then go left of the four arrows logo. Equip the powder and enter the next room to face Bloop. Wait for Bloop to split into four, then freeze the pieces of him with the powder and attack them with the stars. He may get back together once or twice, but the parts that get destroyed will stay destroyed.

After Bloop is defeated, head north to find some machinery. Head left to pick up the key. Keep the machinery in mind for later; you'll need to put something on it when you get that something.

For now, go back to the intersection east of where you started and go east. It's time for another puzzle. Push everything at the bottom to the top row - center, left and then right. Push the top right plaque north once, and the top center plaque to the west twice. This lets you push the top left plaque out and onto the bottom left button. From there, you can push the top center plaque to the bottom center button, then push the top right plaque onto the last switch.

This opens the door to the south, but you'll need to wrap around to that area from the other side. Move the plaques that are in the way to the south so you can head to the right, then move the middle plaque to the right. Wrap back around to the other side and push the plaque to the right south and the plaque to the left west. You'll be able to get the green gem and get out of here.

You now have all of the puzzles solved. They will stay solved, and while you'll still have to push a few non-puzzle plaques out of the way, getting around here is a lot easier now.

You can now head all the way back to the lake and throw in the green gem. When you do, you'll get the magic mirror. Meanwhile, there will be two dwarves where you found the blue gem...and now you're going to have to go through there AGAIN!

PrinceWatercress plays Young Merlin - Part 3 of 8

The underwater maze is truly annoying.

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As soon as you walk into the water here, you'll enter an underwater maze.

You'll need to head from the southeast corner where you start to the northwest corner, where you'll need to use the balloon in the spotlight in order to surface. Along the way, there are caverns you can approach. Some of them have mermaids, and you'll need to let them kiss you in order to refill your oxygen, which will be in the lower-right corner of the screen. Others have piranhas that will swim after you as you try to get away from them. If you run out of oxygen, you'll be sent back to where you started the maze with reduced health.

There are other things to avoid, such as the jellyfish, hammerhead shark that will flatten you and do a lot of damage, and the dogfish chasing the catfish, which will stun you and cost you valuable time. There are even currents in certain areas that 

Aside from the northwest corner, there is also two places to go: west of the center of the maze, and west of the northeastern corner of the maze. Both of these areas lead to health extensions, and you'll want to get both of them.

When you get to the northwest corner and use the balloon in the spotlight to surface, then grab the blue gem. Head right of where you got the gem From here, if you haven't already, get the health extensions before leaving. It's easier to get the extension in the middle of the maze from the exit, while it's easier to get the extension in the northeast corner from the entrance.

From here, get out of the mine. Just keep in mind that this isn't the last time you'll need to go through this maze.

Elven Hollow Map (by 573w3)

Pinedale Map (by 573w3)

Head back to the gem lake and throw the blue gem in. You'll get an air bubble, which increases how much oxygen you have underwater, which makes the underwater maze easier. Also, a dwarf will show up near where the blue gem was. He will be guarding the weird icon that looks like four arrows converging into each other.

Believe it or not, there is a flower near the fairy's lake that you can pick up. You'll need it later.

Head back to the flooded cavern. At least you don't have to use the mine cart again. Use the air bubble to give yourself six air bubbles' worth of oxygen. If you still haven't gotten the health extensions here, go get them now.

The air bubble will make it easier to get the goldfish in the southwest corner. Since you have the goldfish, grabbing it will put it in the goldfish bowl. Head all the way back to Casolari in Pinedale and use the goldfish to get a spring.

Interestingly, the health extensions stay collected if you die in the maze; the goldfish, however, has to be re-collected if you perish before getting back to either the entrance or the exit.

Now you have to go all the way back to where you got the blue gem, take out the dwarf, and use the spring left of where you got the blue gem. This will take you to the opening on the other side as well as the four arrows icon. After you get the password, grab that icon, then be prepared to enter the opening...

PrinceWatercress plays Young Merlin - Part 2 of 8

...and this is where some people understandably get frustrated and turn the game off. I made this part look a lot easier than it actually was.

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Elven Hollow Map (by 573w3)

With the bubble blower in hand, head back to where you fought the Meanies after getting the yellow gem. When you see the Meanies, use the bubble blower near the Meanies to get them to scatter. Behind them is the fairy's trapped shadow. Head back to the lake where the fairy was and use the cube to give the fairy her shadow back. The fairy will heal you, then you'll find out that you need to go to Pinedale, where the girl that you tried to rescue earlier, whose name is Melody, is safe and sound and back at home. You'll also get another password.

Pinedale Map (by 573w3)

Head to Pinedale. The house just south of where you entered is the girl's home, but if you pick up the wrench at the front door, you'll find out that she lives with Sterm, her overprotective father, after Merlin somehow hides behind the tree. Sterm somehow sees Merlin and warns him just for waving back when Melody waves at him.

Past Sterm's house is a covered bridge, and north of the other end is a teleporter of some sort that we can't use yet. West of that is a tree stump with a heart-shaped slot. Northwest of here is Casolari, an old wizard who has locked himself out of his house. He's lost his key in the maze to the north, and you'll need to help him find it.

When you enter the maze, go as far to the right as you can, then head north. Take out the hedge monsters as you go by freezing and blasting them. When you see the bench, head south for the key. Don't leave just yet. Head back to the bench, then go west of the benches. You'll soon be able to get to an open area with a fountain where you can get some life-replenishing water as well as a red flower. Pick the flower up.

From here, get to the northeast corner of the maze. There will be a health extension; go through the wall left of this pick-up to get it. After picking it up, head west. There will be a secret wall leading into the area with the bottle; you'll need to walk through it to get the third and last bottle. From here, head all the way west, then head all the way south. From here, you can head all the way east, then south again to get out of the maze. Use the key on Casolari. He will re-enter his house and hand you a goldfish bowl, which we will need to put a goldfish in.

Sterm's Mine Map (by 573w3)

Head back to the entrance to the mine and use the wrench near the mine cart to remove the wheel. (If you move into the wheel beforehand, Merlin will mention needing a wrench.) Get the wheel, then head back into the mine. Get to the northwest corner to get to the mine cart, then use the wheel on it. Merlin will ride the mine cart like a skateboard...and this is where the frustration with the game kicks in. You'll need to turn towards the curves in the tracks before you take them, or else you're running into walls and starting all over. The fact that you cannot pause while doing this to make things easier really stinks. Thankfully, I've used the map from earlier and did some MS Paint Magic™ to work backwards and chart a route.

Hold Down on the D-Pad to turn immediately to the south, then take the jump and hold Right. Hold Down before the second intersection, then turn Right at the second junction. Hold Down near the end to turn, then hold Left after the first junction to turn left. Hold Up to turn as soon as you are able, then hold Right at the next junction. Hold Down to turn at the end of this part, then hold Right after that. Keep going to take the health extension here and take the jump, then hold Up after the jump to turn. You'll need to loop back around to where you got the health extension, then keep going back to the left where you turned to get to the health extension in the first place.

From there, hold Up at the third intersection on the way to the left to get back on track, then hold Left to turn again, then hold Down as soon as you're able to turn in that direction. Hold Right to turn when you reach the corner, then keep going to the right. Be ready to hold Up after the jump to turn one more time, and after the jump, you'll be at your destination: a flooded cavern. 

Since you cannot pause the game each turn to make things easier and you'll have to practice the crap out of this, this part can be pretty hard, and it can take several attempts to get this done. And before you ask, yes, you have to use the mine cart. You can't avoid it.

PrinceWatercress plays Young Merlin - Part 1 of 8

This game can be hard if you don't know what to do. Thankfully, it's pretty easy to get started early on.

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A host of evil creatures has besieged this once pristine land. From his underground palace, the Shadow King is directing his minions, the Meanies, to infiltrate, corrupt and destroy all things of beauty. The Shadow King is winning; all in the land will soon quiver beneath his vile gaze. Swept away by a raging river while trying to save a beautiful maiden, young Merlin finds himself in this enchanted land. As he explores, he discovers the Shadow King's hideous plot. Armed with an arsenal of magical objects, Merlin enlists the aid of the Lady of the Lake and vanquishes the Shadow King's evil minions. It takes all Merlin's cunning and skill to penetrate the Shadow King's defenses and crush him forever.

Elven Hollow Map (by 573w3)

From here, you'll have control of Merlin. The D-Pad moves you around in eight directions. Walk into the purple gem to pick it up, then head towards the nearby lake and press Y to throw it in. You'll complete a part of a rainbow, and you'll be rewarded with a star. Walk into it and pick it up. When you press B with this golden star equipped, you'll throw it in front of you like an explosive weapon. This is your means of defeating enemies up head. You can see what you have equipped on the Y and B buttons in the lower-left corner of the screen.

From here, head east. Don't go near the plants; you won't be able to survive them yet. Instead, stay on the path north of those plants. You'll seen an evil tree. Go right up to it and start mashing B to destroy it. Two Minions will come out of the tree and flee. You'll also be able to grab a bottle and an orange gem. The bottle can be used to store water and drink it to restore health, while the orange gem needs to be thrown into the lake from earlier.

When you throw the orange gem into the lake, you'll complete more of the rainbow and get a bag of powder. Head towards the plants and throw the powder at them with Y to freeze them, then immediately walk past all the plants before they unfreeze. From here, you'll have to fight some pig enemies with the golden star. Sometimes they will drop hearts that will refill one of your hearts that act as your health in the upper-left corner of the screen, and sometimes they will drop shamrocks. If you collect twelve shamrocks, you will either get temporary invincibility or a full health refill. Don't expect to get that many shamrocks that often, because I sure didn't.

L and R let you switch between all the items that can be equipped to the Y button. You can also press Select and manually select the item you want, and select what is also equipped to B. Start takes you to the sound test and password screen, which will be explained later.

There are three types of water: the regular water, which is a four heart refill; the rainbow water from the lake where you throw the gems into, which only refills a slight amount of health; and blue water which gives temporary invincibility.

On the way to fight the pigs, you'll notice a stream. You can use the bottle on it to give yourself the regular water that refills four hearts. Near that stream is a yellow flower. Don't forget to pick it up; you'll need it later.

In the lower-right corner of the area where you fight the pigs, you'll find a red heart outline. This is a health extension, and it will extend your health by one heart. The pigs can charge at you, so be careful if you're fighting them to refill your health.

Further down the road, you'll fight a much bigger pig. To defeat him, throw the powder at him to freeze him, then attack him with the stars. If he starts flashing out of his frozen state, freeze him again. Repeat until the giant pig falls. You'll then be directed southwest towards a lake, where Minions show up and kidnap the nearby fairy's reflection in the lake with a cube. (It took me until after I made the Let's Play to figure out what was going on here.) The Lady of the Lake will then show up and give you a combination of buttons that you can input in the password screen you can access with the Start Button. Be sure to write it down and keep it where you can find it. Press Start to get back into the game.

If you die at any point, you'll be taken back to the start of the area you were in with reduced health. Lives are infinite.

The small brook near where you fight the pigs has the regular water, which acts as a full heal if you drink it.

West of where the giant pig was is the entrance to the mine. South of the entrance is another health extension. Southeast of the mine entrance is the entrance to Pinedale.

Southwest of the Pinedale entrance is a log bridge. If you move towards it, you'll have a humorous set of interactions with one of the Minions (who kicks you and takes a little bit of your health) before reaching the lake where the fairy is. If you bottle the water here and drink it, you'll get temporary invincibility. Talking to the fairy will tell Merlin about the Minions who stole their shadow, and you'll need to head southeast to get it back.

If you go east of the log bridge, you'll find a lantern. Be sure to grab it; you'll need it later.

On the way to the shadow, use the invincibility water to take out the evil tree, then grab the yellow gem and follow the Minions so you can fight them. You won't be able to get past them...yet.

Head back to the rainbow lake and throw the yellow gem in. You'll be rewarded with a balloon, which allows you to inflate yourself and fly upwards in certain spots.

From here, head to the mine. 

Sterm's Mine Map (by 573w3)

You'll need to get the lantern first before you go in here, or else you won't be able to see.

To fight the dwarves, freeze them with the powder, then attack them until they die. Watch out for their dynamite.

You can enter the little passages with the words "Danger" by pressing A in front of them, but they will take you someplace random every time. I just take the long way through the mine.

The first place to go is in the northeast corner. When you reach the broken ladder, use the balloon. You'll find the red gem.

From here, head to the northernmost part of the maze. Head west, then go south, as soon as you're able to again. The fake wall to the west will give you a health extension. Go back north and up the ladder, then go down the next ladder to the west and go through the wall to the west for a bottle. Finally, go south and down the ladder, then go through the west wall there for another health extension. From here, you'll want to backtrack to the mine entrance. 

Throwing the red gem into the lake at the start will net you a bubble blower. We'll put that to use in the next video.

PrinceWatercress plays Snake (Acornsoft) - The Longplay

...because of course, there's a session of this game without commentary. Enjoy!

Let's Play

In my upkeep of my interest in retrogaming, I've learned that "snake games" have been around since the arcades and the beginning of arcades and the home consoles...and that they weren't always called "snake games;" that term would show up in the late 1990s with games like "Snake" on the Nokia 2210. They used to be called "Blockade games" or "Blockade clones" after Boundary, a 1976 arcade game by Gremlin Industries (not to be confused with Gremlin Graphics from the United Kingdom).

The instructions are simple: guide the snake towards the food, which it gobbles up on contact. The more food the snake eats, the more points you get and the more the snake grows. However, you must keep the snake from running into the wall or itself, or else you will lose a life. You have three lives, and if you earn 400 points, you can earn a fourth one - but that's the only extra life you're going to get.

The food varies in value - the bigger the food is, the more points you score. The food will get small until it disappears, and when it disappears, it re-appears somewhere else.

Z moves left, X moves right, / moves Down and - moves Up. The Space Bar restarts the game when the game is over. There are two types of game: the slow game and the fast game. The slow game is a nice pace and is the game to start with, while the fast game starts off a lot faster and stays that way, and will take practice to get really good at.

The game starts out rather easily, but as it goes along, your snake will get a lot longer and it will soon get a lot harder to not lose a life. It can get pretty difficult on the slow game, but on the fast game, it can get even more difficult to maintain control of your snake. Not surprisingly, my games on the fast mode ended much more quickly.

It's a simple game with the most basic of graphics and sound for the BBC Micro and it came out early for the Beeb's lifespan, but it's a fun one. There were no errors in the programming that I could find, the game controlled rather well, and fun was had all around. If you need an arcade-style game for the BBC Micro that you can pick up and play for a couple of minutes, Snake from Acornsoft's Arcade Action series is a good place to start.

PrinceWatercress plays Snake (Acornsoft)

...and now, another simple, arcade-style BBC Micro game.

Longplay

In my upkeep of my interest in retrogaming, I've learned that "snake games" have been around since the arcades and the beginning of arcades and the home consoles...and that they weren't always called "snake games;" that term would show up in the late 1990s with games like "Snake" on the Nokia 2210. They used to be called "Blockade games" or "Blockade clones" after Boundary, a 1976 arcade game by Gremlin Industries (not to be confused with Gremlin Graphics from the United Kingdom).

The instructions are simple: guide the snake towards the food, which it gobbles up on contact. The more food the snake eats, the more points you get and the more the snake grows. However, you must keep the snake from running into the wall or itself, or else you will lose a life. You have three lives, and if you earn 400 points, you can earn a fourth one - but that's the only extra life you're going to get.

The food varies in value - the bigger the food is, the more points you score. The food will get small until it disappears, and when it disappears, it re-appears somewhere else.

Z moves left, X moves right, / moves Down and - moves Up. The Space Bar restarts the game when the game is over. There are two types of game: the slow game and the fast game. The slow game is a nice pace and is the game to start with, while the fast game starts off a lot faster and stays that way, and will take practice to get really good at.

The game starts out rather easily, but as it goes along, your snake will get a lot longer and it will soon get a lot harder to not lose a life. It can get pretty difficult on the slow game, but on the fast game, it can get even more difficult to maintain control of your snake. Not surprisingly, my games on the fast mode ended much more quickly.

It's a simple game with the most basic of graphics and sound for the BBC Micro and it came out early for the Beeb's lifespan, but it's a fun one. There were no errors in the programming that I could find, the game controlled rather well, and fun was had all around. If you need an arcade-style game for the BBC Micro that you can pick up and play for a couple of minutes, Snake from Acornsoft's Arcade Action series is a good place to start.

PrinceWatercress plays Planet Patrol - The Longplay

...and now, a session of this game minus commentary! Enjoy!

Let's Play

Planet Patrol is a horizontal shmup from Spectravision for the Atari 2600 from 1982. The game can be played with one or two players, and there are two game modes - one slow and one fast - for both the one- and two-player modes. You play as the white ship on the right side of the ship, and you move up and down with the joystick while firing missiles at the red ship with the fire button. 

You'll want to take down as many red ships as you can while also avoiding the blue projectiles that look like lances. According to the bottom of the screen, you only have three lives and a fuel tank, and if you get hit by enemy fire or run out of fuel, you'll lose a life.

You'll eventually see a black ship. When you see it, run into it to dock with it. This allows you to reach the bonus stage for a chance to refuel. The black ship is usually one of the last ships to appear before you see the enemy refueling depots. You'll need to destroy these green machines before you hit the green border and lose a life.

Once you destroy the enemy refueling depots, you'll have to fly through a minefield. You can't fire your weapon here, and all you can do is move up and down to avoid the walls of mines that are in your way. When you get past the mine field, you'll need to line yourself up with the black line. This is the refueling road, and if you successfully line yourself up with it, you'll refuel your ship.

In the next area, day will turn into night once you score enough points. When it turns into night, the red enemy ships become harder to see until they become totally invisible, and your weapon fire is the only thing that will temporarily reveal them for a second. Keep firing and you should be able to see them and either destroy or avoid accordingly. 

After that, you'll get the bonus area if you run into the black ship again and destroy the enemy refueling station, then you can go for a refuel again. After that, the game keeps going until you run out of lives.

This is a rather fine, yet serviceable, game. I have the feeling more people would be talking about this one if this game had come out just a little bit earlier. I didn't have much in the way of problems with the controls, and while the graphics are pretty basic, you can easily identify most of everything. This one is worth giving a shot, at the very least.

PrinceWatercress plays Planet Patrol

It's time for another Atari 2600, and this time, we play a horizontral shmup from the time of the North American game crash.

Longplay

Planet Patrol is a horizontal shmup from Spectravision for the Atari 2600 from 1982. The game can be played with one or two players, and there are two game modes - one slow and one fast - for both the one- and two-player modes. You play as the white ship on the right side of the ship, and you move up and down with the joystick while firing missiles at the red ship with the fire button. 

You'll want to take down as many red ships as you can while also avoiding the blue projectiles that look like lances. According to the bottom of the screen, you only have three lives and a fuel tank, and if you get hit by enemy fire or run out of fuel, you'll lose a life.

You'll eventually see a black ship. When you see it, run into it to dock with it. This allows you to reach the bonus stage for a chance to refuel. The black ship is usually one of the last ships to appear before you see the enemy refueling depots. You'll need to destroy these green machines before you hit the green border and lose a life.

Once you destroy the enemy refueling depots, you'll have to fly through a minefield. You can't fire your weapon here, and all you can do is move up and down to avoid the walls of mines that are in your way. When you get past the mine field, you'll need to line yourself up with the black line. This is the refueling road, and if you successfully line yourself up with it, you'll refuel your ship.

In the next area, day will turn into night once you score enough points. When it turns into night, the red enemy ships become harder to see until they become totally invisible, and your weapon fire is the only thing that will temporarily reveal them for a second. Keep firing and you should be able to see them and either destroy or avoid accordingly. 

After that, you'll get the bonus area if you run into the black ship again and destroy the enemy refueling station, then you can go for a refuel again. After that, the game keeps going until you run out of lives.

This is a rather fine, yet serviceable, game. I have the feeling more people would be talking about this one if this game had come out just a little bit earlier. I didn't have much in the way of problems with the controls, and while the graphics are pretty basic, you can easily identify most of everything. This one is worth giving a shot, at the very least.

PrinceWatercress plays Math Rescue - Part 19 of 19

...and with this entry, Math Rescue is complete.

First | Previous

Level 15: The Dark Cave

In the final level of the game, you're going to be going through a ton of warps in order to get to where you need to go. However, if you can memorize where some of the numbers are, you can cut down on the backtracking in such a way that said backtracking will be reduced...assuming you're collecting all the numbers in order.

When you beat this level, you'll get the ending for Episode 3 as well as the entire game.

Whew! You've returned the numbers to their rightful places and captured a Gruzzle! It is a touching moment when the Gruzzle, Zorja, recognizes Benny as a long lost cousin.

Benny explains to the young Zorja that Gruzzles were not always pets and convinces her to choose freedom over the Glixerians.

With Benny translating, you invite all Gruzzles to come and live forever on planet Earth. In doing so, you have succeeded, not only in saving Earth's numbers for good, but in providing the gardeners on Earth with built-in slug control. The Gruzzles decide to move from the purple slime planet to the muckless, blue planet of Earth.

Best of all, your mother, who has been locked in the bathroom this whole time comes out into the living room. She is so happy to have the numbers back on her paycheck that she order pizza for everyone. In California, the highway patrol is so relieved that for a whole day, the officers give out doughnuts instead of traffic tickets.

For the Glixerians on Glixer II, however, things aren't so sunny. They fling stink mud at the backs of departing Gruzzles. Then things get out of hand and they begin throwing stick mud at each other. Soon the whole planet reeks of skunk!

But the Glixerians are not finished with the planet Earth! Watch for more episodes in the upcoming Gruzzle Puzzles.

Sadly, Gruzzle Puzzles never came out. But, hey, at least you've beaten Math Rescue!

PrinceWatercress plays Math Rescue - Part 18 of 19

The Asteroid Belt can be a little tricky for younger gamers, but thankfully you can climb up or down on the asteroids if you need to look up or down.

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Level 13: The Asteroid Belt

You're going to be jumping around in this level...a lot. If you know what you're doing, you can get all the Gruzzles to fall all the way to the bottom of the level and never have to deal with them again. If you're wondering where that is, it's slightly below the exit door. 

You can climb up and down on the asteroid platforms, and that can help you look up and down if you need to. 

Level 14: Exploring the Caves

Compared to The Asteroid Belt, this level is much more pleasant.

There is a warp before the "8" and "9" near the start.

If you don't find something leaping into the center of the underside of an arch near the start and moving around, try leaping into an arch from the side. You'll find a warp for your efforts.

PrinceWatercress plays Math Rescue - Part 17 of 19

In this entry, the levels start getting a little more frustrating...but thankfully, not too much.

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Level 11: Inside the Gruzzles' Spaceship

If you pick up all the numbers in the proper order, you'll hit all the warps and you'll hit all the trucks in the order you need to hit them in (for the most part).

Level 12: The Space Maze

Accurate level name is accurate.

Hitting all of the warps is fun. One seems to lead to a dead end, but if you leap into the wall there, you'll see more of the level. You'll eventually be warped back to the start, so if you missed anything on the drop at the beginning, you can go for it again.