BUZZ ON THE GRAPEVINE

Memory: 48K
Price: £4.95
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair

Buzz Off from Electric Software is a fruity little program starring Bertie the Bee whose longing for sweet ripe strawberries and other assorted fruit gets him into a lot of trouble. He enters the Enchanted Orchard where his heart's desire hangs temptingly. Little does he know that a large spider is waiting for a wee bite too.

You must manoeuvre the bee around the screen collecting pieces of fruit as they appear. Once a piece has been eaten a portion of spider's web takes its place. If Bertie touches any part of the web down comes the nasty arachnid to collect his own lunch.

There are ten levels. In the first no web segments are visible but thereafter the spider will have spun bits of web to hinder Bertie in his task. As Bertie only moves in a straight line - bees do don't they? - getting round the screen is very difficult and the game requires large doses of concentration and care. The graphics are well-drawn, though necessarily limited to the bee, the spider and the fruit. The spider is distinctly menacing though Bertie looks rather bumbly.

This is the sort of arcade game you'll either adore or detest. Bertie's job is hard and there is no zapping or violence on the player's side.

Skill and judgement are needed for success and the game concept is limited to the one task. Buzz Off is a good representative of this type of fruit game but runs the risk of repetition after a while.