High quality Czech puzzler from KVL with forty levels. As a logical arcade game, Boovie boasts a broad range of in-game elements such as breakable glass blocks, lifts, teleports, lethal enemy sprites and more besides. A simple gravity model exists so that in-game objects fall downwards although animate objects such as the player character and enemy sprites don't.
The goal of each level is to move a white block onto a white platform, designated by an animated up-arrow. Sounds simple enough? Naturally, it isn't as there are some mind-bending screen layouts filled with various contrived obstructions and hinderances. However, each level is confined to a single screen and can be conveniently scrutinised at length if need be. It may take a quite few days to play through all of the levels. In fact it is even possible to get stuck on a single Boovie level for some hours until getting that "Eureka!" moment. Certainly a few of the levels require some "sideways" thinking.
A distinguishing feature of the Boovie games is that the player character and in-game objects can be moved half a sprite width (i.e. half a "grid square") at a time. This is crucial to the unique type of puzzles found in the game. The game features several decent AY chip tunes playing throughout and also appropriately simple sound effects. Graphics are nicely done and the sprite animation is suitably smooth. The game has a thoroughly professional feel to it.
Each level has a unique access password. However, if using emulation like I did then you may just prefer to use user-saved snapshots instead. Players of this game (including myself) have been temporarily fooled into thinking level fourteen is impossible. Having now completed the game I can assure readers that all levels are indeed possible. Just be sure to load the second program off the tape, as the first one is just an intro that for some reason does not apparently provide access to the main game. There is also a PC version of this game.
