Producer: Mastertronic
Retail Price: £1.99
Author: Stephen Parys

A platform world of squares and grids is the environment for a rolling ball. And the ball must move and jump from square to square, collecting the right number of crosses that he finds upon his trundling travels through Rollaround's 20 levels.

The platforms do not consist entirely of identical squares: some are plain or contain collectible crosses, others alter all squares upon a level or just some. Clock squares slow down speedy aliens, and mystery squares either hide a packet of points or lead to death; unmarked exit squares when touched reveal the paths that lead to other platforms.

But things are not going to be all that easy for the ball - some platforms are patrolled by aliens. These entities can make life for a travelling sphere such a misery, as they turn otherwise solid squares into holes or push a poor ball from a platform. Others can leap over holes or mirror movements of our ball, whilst bombs can direct themselves to the squares upon which our friendly orb sits.

A jump button allows the ball to skip between platforms, avoiding these annoying creatures and collecting squares as it goes. For every one of the squares touched, points are awarded, but for fall from a platform or through a hate means that one of ball's eight lives is plucked away.

The number of types of square that need to be gathered before progress can be made to the next level is shown at the top of the screen. There is also a time countdown within which the level must be completed. When a level has been completed, there is a chance to use good timing to win a bonus score or an extra life from a random display.

COMMENTS

Joysticks: Kempston
Graphics: isometric view of monochrome surfaces - very simple
Sound: simple sound effects

Rollaround is quite dull. Admittedly, the scattered cult following of the excellent Bobby Bearing may enjoy this mediocre reflection. But the graphics are small and lacking colour, and addictivity is very limited.
MIKE [52%]

Rollaround is very reminiscent of Electric Dreams's Spindizzy: it has precarious 3-D landscapes and narrow tracks, items to collect, puzzles to solve and switches to throw. But it differs slightly in its overall design. It's more compact and not as well presented, and it doesn't contain the vast panorama of varied landscapes.

But Rollaround is very playable (dropping an alien through a hole by throwing a switch is satisfying), and the puzzle factor makes it very addictive. The title screen mirrors the game's beautiful simplicity: rolling a marble madly in search of crosses to collect doesn't create frantic action, but requires a good deal of thought and a sense of precise timing (some mapping might come in handy, too).

The difficulty has been graded just right: the first level is extremely easy, but later ones are more demanding of precise timing and mental agility. The only real disappointment is the graphics: they're a bit basic, and some of the aliens are very poor.

But despite these faults, N you want more of the Marble Madness format, Rollaround could be what you're looking for.
GORDON [70%]

Mastertronic
£1.99
Reviewer: Gwyn Hughes

At first glance you'd be forgiven for expecting a Marble Madness clone, but anyone wanting frantic action should try elsewhere, because this is a more lethargic form of lunacy.

No, that not quite true, because there is an arcade element to the game, but it's not the wild course of dodging and swerving you might expect. Steering isn't exactly nerve shattering - you can stop on a sixpence (or you could if we still had sixpences). But there is a far stronger problem solving element than you'll find in most marble manoeuvering gemes.

You have to steer your sphere over various squares, collecting the shapes which adorn them as you go. Don't get greedy though, because you mustn't hog more than your fair share of each type. To add to the fun there are aliens to avoid, a welcome test of your timing. But while they stand in your way for a while, the main attraction is strategic.

From the second level onwards there are switch squares, which change the landscape, and you'll need to know how they work or you could find yourself stranded when all the plain squares vanish! in fact, most of the fun comes from working out the only route which will allow you to collect your quota of shapes.

Later levels introduce clock squares, which stop the time limit ticking away for a limited period, and mystery squares, which may offer a bonus, or may just kill you. What with holes to avoid and the straight and narrow paths to stick to as you map them, there's a fair bit to do, even if it won't require split-second reactions.

Though your sphere can jump over gaps or aliens, Rollaround is still more a test of mental rather than manual dexterity. But as a variation on an old theme, it's a sound budget offering, especially for puzzlers.

Label: Mastertronic
Author: Mr Chip
Price: £1.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: Kempston
Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

Three of the words I most hate are 'simple but maddeningly addictive'. FOUR of the words I most hate are 'graphically simple but maddeningly addictive'. FIVE of the words...

Let's start again. Rollaround is one of those games where graphics ain't worth a spit, but the gameplay is so much fun that you don't care. It's a sort of cross between Painter, Marble Madness and Bobby Bearing, in that you control a sphere rolling around a number of complex networks of squares. Your aim is to collect the correct number of symbols from each level, indicated at the top of the screen.

Each of the levels includes nine screens laid out as a three by three grid. Some of the screens consist simply of right-angled pathways, where the worst thing that can happen is that you lose a life by plummeting off the edge. But on the more complex screens, where there can be up to 100 squares, aliens appear and make your life hell. Some will chase after you and turn the square beneath you into a hole, some actually leap over obstacles to get at you, and some sit guarding the squares you want to collect. There are also several types of square. Some change the nature of all the other squares on the level, some turn plain squares into holes (which can be useful for killing aliens), and some stop the clock for a limited time. (Oh yes, forgot to tell you; there's a time limit for each level, and in some cases you'll find the squares collapsing under you).

After each level there's a fruit-machine style bonus game where you hit the fire button as a series of tokens light up. You can get yourself an extra life, extra points, or a big fat zero here.

You can abort a level at the loss of a life if you get stuck, and there are decent sound effects and music to complete a neat little package.

If leaping over the fast-moving aliens, collecting squares and avoiding big holes are things you don't do well in real life, then you won't get far with Rollaround. For most of us, though, it will provide far more entertainment than anything this simple has any right to do.