Producer: Sparklers
Retail Price: £1.99
Author: Martin Harris

Snodgits, or Did The Butler Do it? as it could be called, is a classic Whodunnit from Sparklers. Menace is afoot at Mystery Mansions as objects go missing causing chaos in the Snodger household. It's not that the objects are particularly valuable but the whole business is making life a misery for Benson the trusty old Butter. What is he to do when Lord Snodger asks for his slippers and they are no where to be found? Life would be all the more simpler if these odd occurrences could be blamed on the mischievous Snodgits, pets of the Snodger family as they are always making mischief. However, Benson, who has a nose for these things, is doubtful. Such is the problem that an impressive array of prestigious Detectives and Detective-esses have assembled at Mystery mansions to try and discover who the culprit is. But are they all as blameless as they would like to suggest? While everyone else is running around in ever decreasing circles trying to get to the bottom of the matter, Benson plods steadfastly onwards in his own inimmitable fashion trying to clear his own name as much as an ing else.

Benson must trudge around Mystery Mansions trying to locate stray objects that are required by the Snodgit family. Clues to what these objects might be are given to Benson by the loveable Snodgits. For example, one might approach Benson and say, Daphne wants the candlestick and Benson must try and find out where it has been mislaid. Mystery Mansions is not small by Stately Home standards with over 200 rooms. Benson's task is aided by a map at the bottom of the screen with the butler represented by a green square and the sought object by a purple square. Maybe the object is carried by someone else? Or it might be on another floor - whatever, poor old Benson must battle it up and down the stairs in search of it.

Once the correct object has been given to the correct person. Benson gains access to the Clue Table. Now he can begin the task of finding out who is responsible for the disappearing objects. The Clue Table is two blocks of rows and columns showing a list of objects and suspects. Each row of suspects relates directly to the objects shown. A question is asked such as, Who snodged the Teapot? and Benson, using his Butler's intuition must decide who the guilty party might be. If he makes a wrong guess then he must deliver another object or find a Snodgit to snodge with. However, if he makes the correct link between object and suspect then the guilty person is automatically put into the guilty box at the bottom of the screen and Benson can scurry off to find a detective. Three people in the game are guilty and they must all be identified before you can move on to a higher level.

If you get fed up with the present lay-out of Mystery Mansions you can choose a new location by restarting the tape after the main part of the game has loaded. Each of the 5 Mansions have over 200 rooms and each level has a higher number of floors which must be examined.

The game carries on until Benson runs out of lives. At the bottom of the screen is a Snodgometer and a Bodgometer. A life is lost on the Snodgometer every time Benson bumps into a Snodgit and a life is lost on the Bodgeometer everytime Benson is clumsy and bumps into bits of furniture or walls.

Have you brains enough to assist Benson discover who is the thief of Mystery Mansions, or will it remain forever a secret?

COMMENTS

Control keys: 1 left/anticlockwise, 2 right/clockwise, 9 up/walk, 8 down/walk
Joystick: Kempston, cursor, Interface 2
Keyboard play: good - two modes, directional and rotational control
Use of colour plain and simple
Graphics: large and attractive
Sound: tweets and burbles
Skill levels: one

Snodgit seems to me to be one of the most original games around at the moment, and in a budget range as well. The whole look of the game is very pleasing with lots of large and excellently animated characters in a small, but well coloured maze. It's a pity that all the mazes couldn't be loaded in memory at once, but it does remember the last High-score after loading. Once the instructions had been fully read I found the game a pleasure to play and very addictive. The sound is not the best in the world but the playability more than makes up for it. This is definitely one of the better budget games around at the moment.

This one feels a lot like Popeye as you control the same sort of large character, the main difference being that you are playing in a 3D area. The graphics are not as clear as they could have been and as a lot of colour is used there am many attribute problems. The characters are well animated and detailed, but the sound is poorly used there are only a few spot effects every now and than, this is a shame as it would have added to the atmosphere of the game. Generally Snodgits is a very good deal for two quid as it is compelling and playable.

What an instantly pretty game, much prettier than the average budget release and I suppose that is just what is supposed to attract the end user into purchasing it. Graphically Snodgits is really very good, especially the Snodgits themselves, what a cute, but oft annoying, race they are! Animation is very well employed on top of the big bright backgronds. The game itself is slightly cludoesque but a bit more original than that, providing a good laugh for any Spectrum gamester. Have a quick look at this one as you may well be surprised after the lower quality of Creative Sparks other releases.

Creative Sparks
£1.99

I thought Snodgits was the name of Bernie Winter's dog until I discovered Creative Sparks' latest cheapie. But no, it's a maze detective game with a hint of platform. It won't stretch your brain cells too much but as a sleuth spoof on Cluedo and all those Agatha Christies (with a soupçon of Gremlins thrown in for good measure) this gamette ought to raise a giggle, if not the roof.

There are five game locations - ranging from Mystery Mansions to Whodunnit Hall (geddit!) all on different parts of the tape. Here lives the frightfully awful (or is it awfully frightful) Snodgers - Roger, Daphne and Lord and Lady Snodger, who constantly order Benton the Butler. Whilst doing his menials, the genial but apparently lobotomized, Benton (well at least we know the butler didn't do it) (or did he?) tries to solve various house mysteries like who should do bird for stealing the turkey.

You're given a map of the whole house and a bearing, so you can track yourself and the target clue, to help you in your quest. Snodgits has BIG graphics to help the hard of seeing as well as some pretty impressive 3-D effects. All in all, at Whodunnit Hall it's hard to be a bodger of Snodgers, so go for it!

WHAT CAN I GET FOR £1.99

Rock bottom - £1.99. It seems there is a simple rule governing software pricing policy - if it doesn't cost £9.99 then it must cost £1.99. Now this is jolly simple for software distributors and retailers who find the fact that most software is one of two possible prices easy on their accountant's brains but it means this: software which costs £9.99 is either really fab or involves a licencing deal so expensive that the software firm needs the margins.

Software which costs £1.99 is... well... rapidly becoming almost everything else. From the titles reviewed here it's clear that £1.99 will buy you some of the most awful and some of the most awesome programs ever devised...

SNODGITS
Label: Creative Sparks
Author: Martin Harris
Price: £1.99
Joystick: various
Memory: 48K/128K
Reviewer: Graham Taylor

The Snodger family of Mystery Mansion don't talk much. When they do it's something succinct like, "Pamela Snodger would like the Gold Fish" or "Roger Snodger wants the flowers." The family themselves are a curious mixture of sloaney daughters, tweedy sons and deranged uncles just like many of those really appearing in Burke's Peerage.

The game is, well it's sort of, how can I put this? Imagine a sort of Cluedo played in a 3D house with large sprites for the central characters. You spend most of the game hunting the house for objects which are requested by the various members of the family. The requisite objects and people are indicated by a green square on the floor plan of the house and you must get to the object or person without bumping into too many walls or other members of the household.

Matching requested object to person means you change screen and try your luck at the clue table, which is a simple visual logic text in disguise. Basically, it involves spotting elements common to a number of different groups of people and objects. Solve three such problems and you move on to the harder, ie, bigger house.

Snodgits is a bizarre mish-mash of several different sorts of game, an uneasy alliance between arcade 3D visuals and logic tests. It works better than you might suppose, somehow the various elements partly gell into an inwardly consistent program and it becomes reasonably addictive. Though not really all that challenging.

Visually, the main section of the game where you wander around the mansion looking for people or objects is a sort of poor man's Knight Lore, same angled viewpoint - but the simple line and block backgrounds lack detail. The sprites are not bad, big and comic-style, looking like a slightly upmarket version of the Wally family.

A curious game then, flawed but quite different from most budget games. It will certainly entertain you for a good few hours which is all that a budget game can be expected to do.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
SUPPLIER: Creative Sparks
PRICE: £1.99

Snodgits is wonderful. It's cheap, simple to pick up, hard to put down, and extremely pretty!

You take the role of Benton the Butler, servant to the Snodgers, a frightfully well-to-do couple. In the family household, some very peculiar happenings have been, um... happening. Objects have been going missing. This spate of "snodgering" has reached such an alarming rate, that a team of famous, though largely incompetent, detectives have been called in to try and solve the case.

Being a more than marginally smart butler and not wishing to believe the disturbing rumours of Snodgits stealing all the household objects, you decide to solve the case yourself.

Nothing particularly amazing as yet. But I haven't explained about the graphics. They are a little like Ultimate's 3D excursions, except they scroll, and are huge! Your character, as all the others, is very well animated, and decidedly "cute". You can walk around the mansion, going up and down stairs, in search of the object or person you are pursuing.

There are also various items of scenery dotted around, such as grandfather clocks, baths, bookcases, plants and desks. Despite being a little jerky, the animation is good.

Snodgits is well worth the money. Extremely entertaining, and easy to get going with.

Creative Sparks
£1.99

I like a good whodunnit especially if I can solve the crime before I reach the end of the book. BenTon the butler shares my enjoyment and I was pleased that we could join forces in Snodgits.

Benton is an amateur sleuth who must solve various crimes in the mansions owned by Lord and Lady Snodger. Unfortunately, he must also see to their needs while snooping.

Until now all of the thefts have been blamed on the Snodgits, mischievous little creatures who inhabit the Snodger houses. Various famous detectives are also working on the case and Benton must solve the cases before the likes of Miss Marbles, Inspector Clousteau or Padlock Holmes get cracking.

Each game is set in a different house. There are five houses altogether each with a maximum of six floors. All start off with only two floors with a new floor being added as you progress through the levels of the game.

The Snodgits will tell you that a certain object is required by a certain member of the family. You must locate the object and deliver it to its owner. This enables you to visit the clue table. Here you can match up suspects to the object they have stolen. If you are correct, you must then report them to a detective.

On your way around the house you must avoid bumping into bumping into Snodgits or the person who is currently bellowing for an object. If you bump into one of the one of the other characters you can exchange whatever they are carrying for the object in your possession, be it a turkey, candlestick, suitcase or rubber duck. You pay a penalty for each indiscretion and if too many errors are made you will never solve the crime.

The graphics are superb, chunky 3D affairs and I've not enjoyed a game like this for a long time. It's on the budget Sparklers label too. All I can say is thank you Creative Sparks, CDS and Martin Harris. This game deserves a place in the Top Ten games.