Producer: Artic
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £5.95
Language: Machine code

Monkey Bizness is a 'Kong' game, and a fairly comprehensive one at that with eight screens. The ladders and girders are about the most detailed for the Spectrum. It also boasts the first 3D barrels, which are enormous.

On screens one and two, the layout is pretty straightforward, although there are holes in the girders to be jumped on screen two.

Screen three has two sets of stairs to be jumped, screen four has a long jump, screen five has springs which throw the barrels upwards, screen six throws showers of barrels at you, in screen seven the barrels disappear and reappear further up. In the final level you must knock out the 7 weak points in the scaffolding to bring Kong tumbling down.

The barrels are very fast moving and have a wide pattern of travelling down the screen. In addition to the barrels, there are hammers to be collected by jumping up for them, after which you can I knock out barrels until the border flashes red. It isn't possible to go up or down a ladder while holding a hammer. There are also umbrellas which protect against a bad fall, should you miss jumping a hole.

COMMENTS

Control keys: 6/7 = left/right, 8/9 = up & jump/down
Joystick: Sinclair 2
Keyboard play: responsive
Use of colour: good
Graphics: detailed, 3D barrels, a little jerky
Sound: fair to average
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 4
Screens: 8

This is quite a traditional 'Kong' with proper girders and lots of detail. Kong himself even sits at the top and is animated so you can see him throwing out the barrels. The barrels are very big and animated in hollow 3D and you can see them face or end on depending where they are. There's a very mean screen where they actually zig-zag down without using a girder or ladder. Fortunately your man jumps with enormous gusto. Very playable.

This is a fairly good reproduction of the original but the graphics are a bit on the jerky side and the animation of your man jumping isn't very good. It's reasonable, but for my money not as good as the Blaby or Ocean versions.

Usually you can start moving as soon as the game begins, but with Monkey Bizness your man doesn't appear (on the first screen) until the first barrel has already rolled down two girders - unfair! There's lots of detail and plenty to keep you on your toes. It may be a bit late in the day to be bringing out a 'Kong' game, but I think this one will prove quite popular anyway as it has enough variation to make it distinct from others, and enough screens to battle through to make it quite addictive in playing. Overall, the graphics are of a fairly high standard too.

APEING THE ANTICS OF DONKEY KONG

Memory: 48K
Price: £5.95

Monkey Biznes is not a new version of the famous Marx Brothers film but a game for the 48K Spectrum. The monkey in the game is King Kong and, if you had not guessed already, it is another version of the classic arcade game Donkey Kong.

You have to rush up the scaffolding to rescue the fair maiden in distress. To do so you have to hammer the barrels which are thrown at you by Kong or dodge them if you do not have a convenient hammer to hand. If you fall from the scaffolding and you have one of your umbrellas handy you can float down a level and try again.

If you manage to reach the top of the scaffolding on one level a ladder will extend heavenwards and you will climb up to the next level. You will continue to risk your life climbing until all your four lives have been lost.

Monkey Biznes, from Artic Computing, is an amusing and colourful game. It would have been much better if released several months ago, as there are several similar games on the market. It can also be a bit tedious after you have been through several levels of play.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
JOYSTICK: No
CATEGORY: Arcade
SUPPLIER: Artic
PRICE: £5.95

A perfectly acceptable Kong. The graphics are not quite as interesting as in the versions by Blaby, Ocean and PSS, but to make up, you get seven different screens of action.

WELL-WORN THEMES RE-APPEAR

The trend in software production appears to be to take stock, build on successful ideas and await new developments. New games tend to be new variations on well-worn themes rather than startlingly original concepts. The number of games based on the premise that all computer owners love shooting as many things as possible is decreasing and giving way to games which need thought and strategy as well as fast reactions.

Unfortunately for ZX-81 owners, although their computer has remained consistently among the top five bestselling computers, new software for the ZX-81 is almost non-existent and W H Smith is not intending to accept any new ZX-81 software for sale in its shops. Due to the shortage of new software, no ZX-81 programs have been received for review this month.

In a very similar vein is Monkey Bizness - Artic, 48K Spectrum. The monkey mentioned in the title is King Kong and the object is to rush up the scaffolding, dodging or destroying the barrels which Kong rolls at you, to rescue the woman at the top of the scaffolding.

Monkey Bizness is an amusing and colourful game, although many Spectrum owners will find they already possess similar games.