Producer: Unique
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £5.99
Language: Machine code
Author: Jose Manuel Gutierrez

This is one of the Spanish games from Ventamatic marketed in Britain through Unique. Jump actually seems a somewhat inappropriate name for this particular game - Climb or fall might have been more accurate. This is actually a Spectrum version of the arcade machine game known as 'Crazy Climber'. Your climber is standing at the bottom of a tower block six windows wide. He automatically climbs up the front door, and after that, you're on your own.

The object is to get to the top. Unfortunately all the rooms are occupied by what the inlay refers to as apes but more resemble angry looking versions of BBC deejay John Peel wearing cans on his head. Windows which are blank are safe, especially if the blue blinds are down, but any window with an 'ape appearing is bad news. When fully aroused, this violent species actually hurls potted plants down on our doughty climber, plunging him to his death.

Halfway up, the building has no windows in the centre, forcing you to climb on either the left or the right side. Further up still there is a giant ape blocking your path. Once at the top a tune is played and your are taken to the foot of another block with inhabitants throwing different objects at you.

COMMENTS

Control keys: 5/8 left right, left/right arm, T/U left/right leg
Joystick: none
Keyboard play: rather weird positions but they work well once mastered
Use of colour: good
Graphics: large, detailed, generally good
Sound: simple tune with some effects during play
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 5

Jump has very attractive and well designed graphics. Your climber is of a large size with well moving arms and legs, but here lies the first problem. The control key number six, a left and a right movement, and then one for each of his arms and legs. This seems a bit of a fistful to cope with and makes playing the game very hard. Nevertheless, it has addicitivity because you always seem to want one more go to see what happens next as the buildings do change quite a bit as you climb them.

A fairly good game copied from the arcade original. The aped resemble angry business men, but your climber is very detailed right down to his woolly climbing jumper and shiny, manageable hair. The graphics generally are above average and scroll nicely, although they can be a little jerky at times. As far as I know this is the only game of its type on the market, even though certain things are missing like the bird and the helicopter at the end, it's still a good copy of the original and very playable.

Jump has a nice front end, with horizontal scrolling letters forming the word JUMP passing behind the copyright details. The game is fun but very frustrating because I think the level of difficulty is a bit too high. It might have been more addictive, rather than less, if there had been fewer apes, and sometimes you don't stand a chance of getting out of the way of falling pots at all. In this respect, the arms and legs movement could be easier to control, although with a programmable joystick interface I found I could settle for only moving one arm and a leg with an up/down configuration, while using left and right for sideways movement. Quite original for the Spectrum, and I think lots of people will find it addictive once the control factor is mastered.

MAKER: Ventamatic
FORMAT: cassette
PRICE: £5.95

Schizophrenic Spanish import that wears Donkey Kong duds (misleading), calls itself Escalador Loco yet loads as Crazy Climber. The latter is perhaps the most descriptive handles as the game involves climbing the outside of a skyscraper. A dull enough task were it not for the falling plantpots and obstrperous apes you meet en route. The graphics are neat, with the large cartoony climber being effectively animated, and the curse factor alarmingly high. Just when you think you've survived the first floor out pops a bearded terror who brains you with his last petunia. The monkey's even worse (he lurks further up the building). I've simply no idea how you're meant to pass his hairy, flailing arms. (Starting up us equally challenging.) As with other Ventamatic imports the instructions are Spanish and consequently meaningless (unless you're a Spaniard). It was only after much experimentation that I sussed out that it was the cursor keys 5 and 8 which moved the climber left and right (what do you mean it's obvious?), while keys 6 and 7 each moved an arm; U takes the character up the building but only after a firm grip has been established on the next ledge. A stick option would have made life a lot easier! Worth persevering with, though, as the actual game is mucho fun. And of course its scarcity ensures great snob appeal!

A game that I have been looking out for at the software stands that seem to appear in all the stores now has finally arrived. - JUMP, by Unique, is an arcade type game where you are in control of a man climbing his way up a tower block of flats. You have six controls to move either arm or leg and to move left or right. This is far too many for keyboard operation and unless you possess nimble fingers, you may find it quite a task. I think it would have been a good idea to include a joystick option, especially as this game is directed only to the arcade game enthusiast.

Controlling your fingers you must climb up the tower block, keeping an eye open for the windows, which mustn't shut or close as you will find yourself falling to the ground. These windows are opened and closed by mad apes, who also throw plant pots at you in an effort to get you off their tower block.

An interesting point to note is that in the instructions we are told that apes have overtaken the tower block and at the introduction screen, we see an ape appearing at the window, but as soon as the game starts, Darwin's Theory of Evolution takes place and all the apes have changed into men.

The flower seemed to come at incredibly random moments, as quite often there is no chance of escape. This certainly made the game more of a challenge - not to be beaten by these apes (or men).

The music is good and the very detailed and smooth graphics are excellent, although they can get a bit boring after a time. This game, though, is a sure must for any arcade freak (or window-cleaner).