Producer: Adventure International
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £9.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Brian Howarth

If I remember rightly, Gremlins was a box office smash sometime around Christmas, and chose to bring to life on film the little devils who get into the works of TV Newsrooms to give us all a laugh. I never thought I'd be sitting here (I always sit on the same seat when I write the column I call it the woolsack) wishing I had seen some hyped up piece of celluloid, but it would certainly have helped me get into what makes these Gremlins tick.

Perhaps I'm getting old but I was surprised at having to kill Gremlins in this game I thought they looked rather cute on the film trailers. Well, enough of the sweatshirts and car-stickers and on to this here adventure, and, all I can say really is it's just what you'd expect a Brian Howarth conversion which features some of the best graphics seen on a microcomputer, and the emptiness of a hollow beans tin when it comes to character interaction, supporting literature or innovative features. That said, I quite enjoyed playing it as the graphics provide compensation in full. Further, it is easy to play, if a touch unfriendly in which words it will or will not accept. To sum up, if you are not an adventure virtuoso, more an occasional dabbler, this game may well prove a worthy digression from the apoplexy of arcade.

Here is the storyline, which will probably only make sense if you have seen the film.

Kingston Falls is in danger of being overrun with Gremlins. Billy has been tricked by Gizmo's offspring into feeding them after midnight. As with most things which might cause a mishap there are rules concerning how best to handle Gremlins. Keep them out of light, don't get them wet and never ever feed them after midnight (if any parent of budding programming talent is looking in on the column I would also proffer this advice, especially the last which, when not strictly adhered to, provides the ritual of washing up before breakfast). Nocturnal meals are not advised as the Mogwai pupate and turn into the evil Gremlins, and led by Stripe, the evillest of them all, cause chaos all over town. Taking the part of Billy, you take on the most perilous of missions. Aided by Gizmo you endeavour to save Kingston Falls from being overrun by Gremlins.

If you don't want to know the solution to this adventure, then look away from the next two paragraphs. No really, only joking (mostly!). The first few frames (must switch this snooker off) in this adventure have you pitched against the cuddly meanies who have just popped out from their pods. In the very first frame a Gremlin is standing in the doorway hurling darts at you. This is the first of quite a number of two-stage animations (ie the meanie swings his darts arm to and fro) which liven up graphics that are so good they hardly need any livening up. Herein lies this game's strength as a piece of entertainment; if you are into superlative graphics then you must check out this one, the pictures are truly state of the art. Stunning, no less.

You'll kick yourself on finding the solution when you lose two or three lives in the first location. Descent to the living room and another Gremlin bars your progress. Commendably your salvation lies in the graphic. Clues within pictures are not radically new, but when they are displayed with such clarity it must be worth a mention. A niggle you will soon notice is the way in which the text scrolls. On occasions you look up to find the first letter of your input lost as it was taken as the prompt to complete the scroll. Leaving the house and travelling the streets you see the skill of the computer artist extends to street vistas as well as house interiors.

Finding the garage you will have great difficulty starting the snowplough as I myself struggled for some time to no avail. If I'm not supposed to drive it away, then surely the door should be locked or the starter key missing. Simply not understanding ENTER PLOUGH etc just doesn't seem good enough. Now I've mentioned vocabulary, why doesn't the program understand PULL, HIT or even HELP when these words are listed under 'some helpful words'? I could supply many more examples of both weak, linear plot and poor vocabulary but suffice to say that a high price in computer memory has been paid in order to serve up the definitive graphics. The main problem is the limitation imposed by there being only one set path toward the final solution. With little effort expended diversifying responses to attempted problem solving or to EXAMINE commands.

Although I haven't mentioned this kind of thing for some time the BBC and Electron versions do not feature graphics, while the Spectrum holds its own with the likes of the C64 and the newest big boy, the Amstrad.

Gremlins is a highly entertaining game with some of the best graphics you will see on a microcomputer. The plot hasn't got all the permutations it might, but what can you expect with such brilliant graphics stored in memory to flash on the screen in an instant. Don't be put off by the mark which must compare this adventure to all others, some of which have intricate plots and lengthy character interaction this game is one of the best from Adventure International. It is such a jolly piece of software that if you don't normally play adventures you could do a lot worse than checking it out, the graphics will impress if nothing else. Overall I really rather enjoyed it and found the theme interesting, so much so, I think I might look up the film next time it comes round (though I draw the line at buying the tee-shirt).

COMMENTS

Difficulty: moderate
Graphics: on most locations and very good with some semi-animated Gremlins
Input: full sentences
Response: instantaneous

If bustin' made you feel good, how d'you fancy mincing up little green gremlins in the kitchen blender? Well, you can in Adventure International's adventure game of the film, Gremlins - it has graphics that move, so you can see one of the little monster's legs turning while his brains are blended. All in the worst possible taste!

The graphics are certainly the most stunning feature of the game. You can slice the head off another gremlin with a sword and see his head land up in the fireplace. Cook another one in the microwave. And they reckon the gremlins are the bloodthirsty ones!

The number of locations isn't that huge but you don't get that much time to explore them. Every move you make means the gremlins have more time to get together and gang up on you. So, you'll have to find ways of keeping them occupied (they love watching movies, for example) before they overrun the town. As you become engrossed in the adventure the tension certainly mounts - you know that every move you make could be your last.

Gremlins shares a number of annoying features with other Adventure International games - it won't accept short forms of words and you have to GO everywhere - GO WEST, GO DOOR, GO UP! Nevertheless, it's a slick bit of programming with an exciting story line.

This isn't an adventure for the addicts but if you're new to the games or you've seen the film this offers a good dollop of gruesome fun!

WATCHING OUT FOR GREMLINS

Richard Price finds something nasty in the blender and goes to El Dorado.

Publisher: Adventure International
Memory: 48K
Price: £9.95

If you are like me, it may take something more than an electric cattle prod to get you to a movie about little furry creatures, however lovable or terrifying they may be. That being the case, I approached Gremlins with trepidation, a large bucketful of salt and a lack of any knowledge of the story behind the title.

It came as a surprise to find that those wee beasties were every bit as fearsome as the meanest orc or ill-tempered dragon. They make East End football supporters look like choirboys.

The game comes from the Adventure International stables and is a text adventure with graphics. The plot probably makes more sense if you saw the film but in essence it is simple - which is more than can be said for the solution.

The all-American township of Kingston Falls is bedevilled by a plague of gremlins, furballs gone bad. Led by Stripe, arch-apostle of ultra-violence, they threaten to overwhelm the town and destroy civilisation as Ronald McDonald knows it. All in all, the classic transatlantic fear of the 'other'.

You take the part of Billy, hero of the film, and must do your darnedest to save the town and neutralise the evil hordes. Gizmo the Mogwai - I presume he is a good form of gremlin - will assist you once you manage to find him.

The game operates on the standard verb noun format and has a fast and friendly interpreter. You may even get free hints if you labour too long over a particular task - helpful if you are not over-familiar with aspects of day-to-day reality in the US.

Finding myself in a kitchen full of appliances I could not get any to work. After I had dithered for a while the computer suggested I 'press button'. Enlightenment came to me as I realised that the Peltzer remote control I had picked up ran the kitchen as well as TV. Have you heard of a Peltzer? I always thought they were dogs.

The pictures in Gremlins are not only pretty; they interact with the play and will show you the actions you have carried out if they affect your visible environment. Some are even partially animated. Once I had discovered the joys of the Peltzer I was soon watching a gremlin whizzing around in the blender.

Time is important to the play and you will have to flash around town to avoid roving gremlins. Leisurely exploration is not on - so, besides the need to solve problems you must always keep one eye open. That adds considerably to the excitement and urgency of your task and gives a feel of ever-present danger.

That combination makes for a classy and tense game, well made and full of action. Despite being repeatedly killed by Stripe's hooligans I enjoyed Gremlins a lot. My only criticism is that £9.95 is a high price to pay.

If you enjoyed the film there's little doubt that you will equally enjoy the Adventure! If you missed the film, the next best thing is to play the game!

Gremlins, written by Brian Howarth, follows the theme of the film fairly closely, especially at the beginning. It will therefore easier to play if you HAVE seen the film - if not, then you will find an adventure that is just that little bit more difficult.

Your aim is to rid the world of Gremlins, and, of course, everyone knows there are some definite ways to deal with them. This is a classical text adventure in its own right, but with the addition of some really superb detailed graphics that are enough to convert the text purist into an arcade fan! They display instantaneously, interact with the plot, and have the added attraction of animation which is applied in an imaginative and often humourous way.

In the Tavern, for example, you are likely to meet up with the "flasher" gremlin, who stands on the bar-top opening and closing his coat! Did I imagine it, or did he occasionally have a dirty leer on his face?

Then there is the "poor taste" side of the game, which I greatly enjoyed - of course! Like the gremlin in the blender, who, when you start it, falls in head first. His legs stick out of the top, and start revolving! It quite reminded me of the time I ran over a frog with the hover-mower!

There are plenty of other locations to explore, including the department store, cinema, swimming pool, and oil station.

The game has a nice easy feel to it being amusing and fairly easy at first, but becoming progressively more difficult towards the end.

So if you fancy your chances of killing gremlins, off you go - but don't forget to take Gizmo with you!

Gremlins is from Adventure International, and has graphics on the Commodore 64, Spectrum and Amstrad versions (price £9.95) and in text only on the Commodore 16, BBC and Electron versions (price £7.95).

PRICE: £9.95
GAME TYPE: Adventure

Load in this game and what do you get? Gremlins all over the house, that is what you get. For starters, the first thing you see in this adventure is a gremlin throwing a dart at you. This involves some quick thinking; discretion is, after all, the better part of valour.

Down in the living room is a gremlin, and the action starts to hot up, for it will not let you pass. The kitchen seems to be stuffed with the little creatures. Remember the liquidised gremlin in the film? Here is your chance to see a gremlin liquidated on your Spectrum screen in full colour animation.

There is a lot in this game. Good pictures, quickly drawn, which change depending on your actions, a series of puzzles to keep you racking your brains, a strong storyline, and a close attention to the film.

Gremlins is an enjoyable adventure, although the early puzzles suggest that it would not keep an experienced adventure player stumped for loong.

Produced for the 48K Spectrum by Adventure International, 85 New Summer Street, Birmingham.

Various
£9.95, £7.95 text only versions
Adventure International

There were three warnings ...

"Keep them out of light, especially sunlight.

"Don't ever get them wet. Keep them away from water.

"But the most important thing, the thing you must never forget... no matter how much they cry, no matter how much they beg, never, never feed them after midnight."

If you've seen the film or read the book, those wise words should be instantly recognised as referring to the dreaded Gremlins. Film and TV tie-ins are all the rage at the moment and Gremlins The Adventure is one of the best I've seen. It stays faithful to the original film while managing to stand as an excellent game in it's own right.

Like all A.I. adventures, this is a text adventure with added instantaneous hi-res graphics. The pictures are superb throughout. Be warned, though - not all versions contain the graphics. Those that do are the Commodore 64, Spectrum and Amstrad while the Commodore 16, BBC and Electron versions are text only, due to memory limitations.

As in the main part of the film, a town has been overrun by gremlins. It's your jab to track down and get rid of every one of them. If you've seen the film, you should find many of the solutions to the puzzles coming easier to mind than those who haven't - remember the microwave oven and food blender? - Yuk!

Just getting going is not too easy since you begin the adventure in a room with a vicious, dart-throwing gremlin. How can you grab the flashlight while being peppered with lethal darts? And where has Gizmo got to?

The graphics are superb and often very funny - pay an early visit to Dorry's Tavern, go right up to the bar and you'll see what 1 mean. Gremlins should be a sure-fire winner for Adventure International and deservedly so.

Adventure International
£9.95

Following their Marvel Comics tie-in series, Adventure International have now moved into the film world with a game based upon the Christmas hit, Gremlins.

Gremlins is a sort of introductory adventure aimed at people who may not have played adventure games before, but who may be attracted to this game having seen the film. And anything which helps to make adventuring more popular is to be welcomed.

The sentence parser is very sophisticated, and the graphic drawings of the locations are excellent. As well as being highly detailed and colourful (the picture of Gizmo is sooo cute!), the graphics also feature a limited animation. In one scene, there is a 'flashing' Gremlin, just as in the film, and the pictures change in response to your commands - in one location, the command 'Kill Gremlin' results in a picture of a headless Gremlin being added to the scene.

The quality of the graphics and parser are just the sort of thing that will encourage the first-time adventurer to get to grips with the techniques of this type of game, but they have taken a toll on the memory available, so that there are relatively few locations to explore, and the problems will not be too hard for seasoned adventurers to solve. But then, Gremlins wasn't designed for veterans, so we can't criticise it on that score.

So, if you're a novice adventurer looking for a place to start, then go and get Gremlins (if you can afford it - the price is it's only real flaw).