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Mr. Wong's Loopy Laundry
by John Prince
Artic Computing Ltd
1984
Crash Issue 7, Aug 1984   page(s) 12

Producer: Artic Computing
Memory Required: 16K
Retail Price: £5.95
Language: Machine code
Author: J. Prince

Computer games do seem to run in cycles - now it's the turn of the Chinese with Ocean's Chinese Juggler and Artic's Loopy Laundry. Mercifully, considering the verbal possibilities, Artic have contented themselves with a very short scenario on the inlay, merely pointing out that as Mr Wong contends with the laundry, he also chased by soapsuds, an iron and a bag of dirty laundry.

The laundry takes the form of a very traditional looking five platform game with between two or three ladders connecting each floor. To the right of the screen a laundry chute runs from top floor to the bottom and it is into this chute on the top floor, that the items of clothing to be found, must be flung. Mr Wong is only able to carry one item at a time (presumably underlining that famous old Chinese proverb about many hands making light work). He is aided in his oriental perambulations by starch, which may be fired at the pursuing laundromaniacs, stiffening their resolve but freezing their action for a few precious moments. The starch, however, runs out very quickly and leaves Mr Wong vulnerable until a new box appears on the screen somewhere. To be active it must be collected before it vanishes again.

On the ground floor there is a washing line stretched out which shows the items of clothing that must be collected. These float around (unmoving) on the different floors. A busy washing machine calculates points remaining, which start at 990 and tick down.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q/A up/down, O/P left/right, bottom row to fire starch
Joystick: Kempston, ZX 2, AGF, Protek
Keyboard play: responsive and sensible positions
Use of colour: very good and varied
Graphics: good, smooth and well detailed
Sound: average
Skill levels: 1 with increasingly difficult screens
Lives: 5
Screens: 1
Originality: a variation on the 'Panic' platform type


In many ways this is a 'Panic' like game - running up and down ladders, avoiding aliens (well irons etc.) and generally carrying out your task. The laundry is small compared with Mr Wong, but quite detailed and well coloured. Keyboard responses are good with a sensible key layout. The game is very different but not really addictive. An unoriginal 'Panic' type game with few variations on the original theme.


The graphics are quite neat and move well although I found it irritating that due to the character block reading it is easy to get 'killed off by a chaser in certain circumstances when the eye tells you you have escaped. This happens most on the ladders where on reaching the top and moving off along the floor, the ascending chaser's block touches yours. The sound is a bit sparse apart from the nice Chinese type tune.


This is a 'Panic' variation game. It's generally good, ie. graphics, colour and playability are all okay, but it's only a variant and doesn't tend to be too original. Artic's Bear Bovver was a very good platform game - this is not so hot! Basically it is playable and almost addictive but tends to suffer from averageness (if there isn't such a word.,there is now!).

Use of Computer65%
Graphics69%
Playability62%
Getting Started68%
Addictive Qualities55%
Value For Money55%
Overall62%
Summary: General Rating: Above average, but not overaddictive.

Transcript by Chris Bourne

Your Spectrum Issue 8, Oct 1984   page(s) 59

Mr Wong is being chased by a clothes iron, a stack of dirty washing and even soap suds, as he tries to collect the laundry. So it's up to you to help him out by spraying his pursuers with starch to stun them.

Alex: The graphics aren't very impressive and the colour doesn't improve the situation. Being so slow makes the game far too easy to play, especially when you're using a joystick, so it's worth remembering to play this one via the keyboard. Collecting laundry is an original idea, but it doesn't prove to be exciting. MISS

Alan H: Originality is low - it's similar to burgertime type games - but this doesn't make the game any less playable or addictive. It includes above average, well-drawn and fairly smooth graphics, with only the merest amount of flicker. But the colour could be better, as the whole display is rather dull. Another minus is the speed - it's quite slow for this type of game, but using the keyboard instead of a joystick solves the problem to some extent. HIT

Alan H: There's a tendency to call this game boring, but that's only because the speed is so slow and perhaps because of the way colour is used; it's the same on every screen, which means everything looks the same. However, the graphics are well defined. It would be better to have total control of Mr Wong; for example if you press the key to go left he'll continue until another key is pressed. HIT


REVIEW BY: Alex Entwhistle, Alan Grier, Alan Hunter

AlexMiss
Alan GHit
Alan HHit
Transcript by Chris Bourne

Sinclair User Issue 29, Aug 1984   page(s) 37

SOAP OPERA UNINSPIRED

Memory: 16K/48K
Price: £6.95
Joystick: Cursor, Kempston, ZX Interface

Welcome to the Artic Computing loopy laundry. If you expect to do any washing, however, you had better forget it unless you are very fast on your feet. Mr Wong's Loopy Laundry, for the 48K Spectrum, is too much like the last Artic game, Bear Bovver, to be a great step forward in games software.

The idea is to rush round the platforms and up the ladders, gathering clothes and depositing them down the chute at the top of the screen. Unfortunately there are soap suds, a giant iron and a dirty bag of laundry waiting to pounce on you if you cannot avoid them. You can turn the wayward washing utensils stiff by blasting starch in their direction, although you must be careful not to exhaust your supply of powder.

The game is good clean fun but is unlikely to be a best-seller. The graphics flicker and the actions you have to perform are repetitive. It might appeal to children but even they might be washboard-stiff after a time.


Gilbert Factor5/10
Transcript by Chris Bourne

C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 34, Aug 1984   page(s) 39

MACHINE: Spectrum
SUPPLIER: Artic
PRICE: £6.95

A rather wishy-washy game is this latest from Artic - the company that did for the articulated lorry what Esther Rantzen did for dental Surgery.

It's a climbing game - a mixture of Donkey Kong and Burger-time but based around washing and laundry.

You take the part of Mr Wong and your job is to collect the various pieces of laundry which are scattered around the screen. You then have to return to the top of the screen and tip the garments into the chute.

There are about half a dozen items on screen one and this number increases on following screens. You have to collect the items one at a time. If you are carrying something, then you'll have to drop it into the chute before you can collect another. The only entrance to the chute is at the top of the screen which is quite annoying.

The Burgertime aspect is apparent in two places. Chasing you round the screen are an iron, a sack of laundry and a froth of soap suds. These may not be as tasty as sausages, tomatoes and chips but the way they move is very similar.

Your defence against these hazards is a box of starch. A box is good for five shakes and a quick shake in the right place will paralyse a pursuing enemy. When stocks of starch fall low, a new box will appear and you have a limited time in which to pick it up.

This is a good game. There's not much variety, though, as the screens are all very similar. The only difference between screens one and two is a slightly different layout of the ladders and the introduction of an extra nasty.

Control is via a Kempston or Interface 2 joystick. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard. The keys are well laid out and easy to lay fingers on in a hurry.

As it says on the cassette inlay, it's all good clean fun.


Getting Started8/10
Graphics8/10
Value8/10
Playability8/10
Transcript by Chris Bourne

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