Producer: Visions
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £6.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Kevin Bezant

Visions describe this game as a 'Video Nasty' - a game which gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, meat and two veg. The meat in this case is Visions' dashing young hero Smiffy, who appeared in the computer complex of 1994. He is now enjoying a much quieter occupation - cultivating the soil. But in this garden the rows of cabbages move all over the place and it is infested with killer tomatoes (make sure they don't ketch-up with you), psycho swedes (no xenophobia intended) and manic mushrooms (no reference to any other game intended). Scoring is done by awarding points for every weed pulled, completing a day's work and points are docked for treading on the cabbages.

The screen display is very uncluttered with no score lines or other info visible - this gives a large playing area, which takes the form of six rows of large cabbages by four rows across. Alternate lines move in opposing directions. Weeds, blue in colour, appear at random points and times, also moving along with the cabbages. The killer veg moves independently, but bounces off the cabbages. Between attack waves the display informs you of what to expect next.

Game instructions and objectives are well displayed on several sheets which can be called up from the menu.

COMMENTS

Control keys: user-definable - requires four directional keys
Joystick: Almost any via UDK, plus ZX1 and ZX2 interfaces
Keyboard play: self-selected, very responsive
Use of colour: clear, but limited, nicely used in instructions
Graphics: very good, smooth and detailed
Sound: average
Skill levels: 10
Lives: 5
Originality: nothing else like it on the market

This is a good game featuring some very high-quality graphics - very smooth. The game is both original and playable (a rare feature lately). I enjoyed it. especially as it had a fairly high degree of addictivity.

If gardeners/programmers imagine that tomatoes, mushrooms and swedes will turn savage one day then there's no hope for any of us! A highly original idea. There's not much that can be said about this game, just that all the graphics are large, detailed, colourful and they move about the screen smoothly. After a while I found the game became tiring due to the way that the cabbages move about the screen with the other veg manoeuvring around them. You may find Killer Toms has a lasting appeal, but I thought that the novelty of the veg multiplying every so often not only daunting but boring. An original video nasty that won't grow on you!

The hero, Smiffy, is instantly identifiable as the hero of Visions' 1994 game, and it looks as though the same movement routine has been used. What worked in that game, works less well here, as Smiffy seems to gallop rather than potter (or whatever it is you do in gardens). The idea is original and well implemented with excellent graphics and good instructions, but once into the rhythm, it becomes quite easy to stay alive and score points. The tomatoes are the least intelligent killers, with the mushrooms being positively aggressive chasers. In later attack waves you get increasing numbers of killers and mixed veg varieties. Quite addictive, but perhaps the appeal won't last all too long.

Meanwhile, back on the vegetable patch, help the market gardener to escape from the killer tomatoes, manic mushrooms and psycho swedes.

Ian: Play begins at a fairly fast speed and increases as you progress, though not to the point where the game becomes too difficult. HIT

Frank: The graphics aren't really very inspiring, and the colours are rather dull - neither of which exactly encourage you to play on. However, the game improves a little if you're using a joystick. MISS

Monty: Sorry, but this one's really boring and unoriginal - despite the title! Gardening isn't much fun at the best of times, but it's made even worse here with the threat of angry vegetables coming after you. It's lasting appeal is absolutely zilch. MISS

Memory: 48K
Price: £6.95
Joystick: Kempston

Vegetarians may be deeply disturbed by the warped concept of Revenge of the Killer Tomatoes, from Visions. Set in a rapidly-mutating market garden, the game features crazed tomatoes, psychotic swedes, manic mushrooms and mobile cabbages, all of which cause Smiffy, the weeder, a pile of grief.

To earn pay and points the player must steer Smiffy between the moving furrows of cabbages and grab the weeds which are around. Every time Smiffy treads on a cabbage he loses points. Meantime the screwy salad items float about the screen, chasing the gardener. They kill on contact. There are 10 levels of difficulty, customised keyboard movement and the option of Kempston joystick.

The main point in the game is the movement, as weeds appear relatively infrequently. Evading the moving lines of cabbage is similar to the Frogger style of play and the rampaging vegetables are like heavy traffic, though they will divert frequently to chase Smiffy. At lower levels of play the evasion portions are a little dull but the action develops into more complexity on higher levels.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
CONTROL: Keys, Kemp
FROM: Visions, £5.95

This is a game with a scenario like one of those awful old horror films that some people like to watch on TV when they're too tired to go to bed.

The cast features killer tomatoes, manic mushrooms and psycho swedes, all gunning for the hero Smiffy.

He's a humble lad who's trying to make a living by pulling up the weeds in a cabbage patch. He earns £100 per weed, but loses £25 if he accidentally uproots a cabbage.

The first screen is a display of green cabbages on a black background. Smiffy's very nicely animated figure strolls round the scrolling landscape trying to get the weeds which sporadically appear.

But he also has to avoid the grim-looking tomatoes who'll chew him up given half a chance. It's not too difficult as they are pretty dumb fruit. When Smiffy's first day's work is done he goes back to face the additional problem of those psycho swedes. These are of a similar rotund shape but are yellow and look much happier with their lot in life.

However, they're no more intelligent and don't pose too much of a problem. Neither do the purple manic mushrooms which are the next hazard, although they do seem to have a little more grey matter.

Revenge is graphically very attractive and the scrolling is exceptionally smooth. Control is easy with the user-defined keys. There are ten skill levels and some good sound effects.

But the game is disappointing because there is not enough for you to do. Even at the fastest levels you're still waiting to be excited.