** 1 page shareware review / 580 words **
** Layout exactly like normal review **

Mole Mayhem

Shiuming Lai gets up to more platform capers...

If there's one thing you can't accuse those Croft Soft chaps of, 
it's beating around the bush. As well as publishing Atari Times 
HTML magazine they still find time to write software like this new 
game, billed as a retro style platformer in the mould of classic 
titles as Bubble Bobble, Manic Miner and Bomb Jack. The aim is to 
get your character, a kamikaze mole, around all the platforms and 
detonate all the cherry bombs by standing in front of them - then 
go to the exit point for the next screen...

First impressions were good as the Croft Soft logo appeared and 
greeted me with specially-commissioned tracker music by Maurits 
van de Kamp (Comp7 to IRC #atari nuts), very nice. Then came the 
title picture, followed by the game options screen. At this point 
you might notice the graphics are all really dull and lifeless, 
which is emphasised when the game initially unfolds on a virtually 
pitch-black backdrop! An eerie silence descends, sparsely 
punctuated by a strange combination of sampled and ear-grating FM 
synthesised effects as you hop around platforms and eat explosive. 
An option for in-game music is planned for a future update, which 
seems sensible as there is hardly a lot of action to keep the 
computer busy anyway. Chip music and sampled effects is a very 
effective combination for STOS games on an STe, as demonstrated by 
releases from STOSSER and Daniel Fielding to name two. What 
sampled effects it does have, are clear, only to be ruined by a 
clicking noise at the end resembling a bad join or header data. To 
be fair this is the fault of the STe DMA sound replay extension 
used.

The real stumbling block is the control mechanism, which feels 
stubborn because it locks out player input until an action is 
completed. Perhaps this is easier from a programming perspective, 
as all jumping and falling movement is executed according to a 
pre-calculated path, but I found it to get annoying very quickly.

If you die you have to start the screen all over again and there 
is no time limit or nasties to avoid, so if you've played it once 
it's the same every time after that, not much random element or 
reflex required. I found little incentive to play this, a pity 
because there are some redeeming features like the option to quit 
a bad game. It appears this has been a long time in the making 
though it can't hide the lack of attention to detail in the design 
- the music overshadows the rest of the production and the whole 
thing doesn't seem to hang together. Ultimately you can decide, 
take a look and judge for yourself, it has been released with no 
restrictions.

** Product box **
Product name: Mole Mayhem
Publisher: Croft Soft
Contact: PD libraries, on-line services and the Croft Soft web 
site:
** BC on **
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/polonowski
** BC off **
Requires: STe or Falcon, 320x200 resolution (ST low), 1Mb memory, 
hard drive recommended
Pros: Powerpad support, good music...
Cons: ... but not while you're playing, drab visuals, lacks 
long-term playability
Scores
Graphics: 45%
Sound: 60%
Gameplay: 42%
Overall: 49%
** End of boxout **

** Images and captions **
** TITLE.GIF **
** No caption **

** CASTLE.GIF **
The paint store was doing special deals on black.

** SPACE.GIF **
** No caption **

** Clipart **
** RIP.GIF **

** POWERPAD.GIF **
** This image is copyright Unique Development Sweden **
** but I got their permission to use it in AC.       **