Bubble Bobble (C64) - 958 - ACE Issue 1 (Oct 1987)

SUPPLIER FIREBIRD VERSION TESTED C64 REVIEWER ANDY WILTON

IF you don't normally associate Firebird with coin-op conversions, this one may come as a bit of a shock. Where Cholo and Sentinel were heavy on the IQ, Bubble Bobble is solid arcade playability.

As in the Taito original, the main characters are two cutesy little dinosaurs - Bub and Bob by name - who blow bubbles, burst them and run round collecting things. The 2D playing area's viewed side on, and since most screens are high-rise efforts there's a fair amount of platform-jumping to be done.

It's a true two-player game. with Bub and Bob either competing for points or cooperating to reach higher levels. Even if you select a single-player game, a friend can join in at any time. Simply press fire on joystick two. Bob appears and you're in business.

To complete each of the games 100 screens, you'll need to tackle its complement of 'bullies' (bad-guys) using bubbles. Blow your own bubble around a bully at close range and he'll float off trapped inside: jump up to burst the bubble, and the bully turns into a nice juicy piece of fruit. There's no time to waste here though - if the bubble bursts before you reach it the bully will be free again and meaner than ever!

Collecting the fruit from defeated bullies earns you extra points but there's a knack to hitting the real high scores. If you burst bullies individually they turn into humble bananas, but burst several at once and you'll get a whole spread of juicy (and valuable) items.

Dodging bullies can he a tricky business, especially given that they can outrun you on the level. Shooting's none too easy either; your bubbles only carry a very short distance before floating off harmlessly. Pick up a running shoe though and you're up to sprinting speed, while some gum gives your bubbles that bit more staying power.

As you progress onto higher screens you'll find better weaponry in the form of water, fire and lightning. All these come in bubbles - burst them at the right moment and you can really wreck those bullies! What's more bullies destroyed like this turn into diamonds rather than fruit, and diamonds are worth big points.

There are all manner of strange bonuses and powers to collect as you work your way through the game, but they can be difficult to get to and most of them vanish if they aren't collected quickly. Lethal extra firepower can be very handy, and timed bonus screens yield enormous score increases if you can clear them fast enough. Spend too long on any one screen and you'll be told to 'Hurry Up!'; to help get the message across all bullies still on the screen turn into their meaner 'escaped from bubble' forms making things a good deal more dangerous. If you still don't get a move on a bubble-proof nasty comes after you, so time is of the essence!

For a largely non-violent and (some would say) rather twee game Bubble Bobble really is amazingly addictive stuff. Pleasing graphics and great music add to its appeal, but with such a playable game Firebird had to be onto a winner.