Undoubtedly Michael Abrash's masterpiece, and one of my favorite games of all time, Funtastic's Big Top is an incredibly addictive 'ladder' game that adds many extras and nice touches that set it apart from games like Lode Runner.
The objective is simple: in each level (called a 'track' in the game), you must retrieve all of the circus ringmaster hats that are scattered throughout the level while avoiding the evil clowns.
What makes Big Top special is the incredible level design and the very good enemy AI: you'll have to think through each level to minimize damage and carefully watch the pattern of the evil clowns. The levels naturally get harder and harder, but they're also much bigger.
One of the things I like about the game is that each ring is not just one screen, but spans at least two screens (e. g. , the bottom level and the top level). Like most of Michael Abrash's games, Big Top is very immersive: you'll hold your breath as you make impossible jumps across platforms, and you'll stay up late into the night trying 'just one more ring' to see more convoluted levels where the exit always seems just out of reach.
If you like fast and fun arcade games, look no further than Big Top. A true classic in every way. . .
Ah. . . the memories. Cosmic Crusader was the FIRST IBM PC game I ever played. It was one of the preloaded programs on our brand new IBM 8088, which ran at a whopping 8Mhz:)
The game itself is nothing new: it's a standard sci-fi shooter that Space Invaders fans will instantly recognize. Shoot the army of invading alien ships before they shoot you dead or crush you when they get too close. I've seen it, I've done it.
While it doesn't look like much fun, Michael Abrash's magic is at work again this time. For no apparent reason, I stayed up late at night, for days/weeks/months at a time just to play this incredibly addictive game. I can't explain why the game is so addictive.
Maybe it's the addition of power-ups, such as a shield that can help you in tough times. Maybe it's the wonderful animations and the very good graphics (which use 4-color CGA to great effect).
Maybe it's the fun surprises that each new level brings, like the giant alien ships that appear from time to time to give you a chance to get a big bonus.
Or maybe it's the fact that Cosmic Crusader was one of the 3 games I had on that computer, and the other 2 are absolute crap:)
Whatever the reason, I simply can't find any fault with this underrated shooter.
Another wonderful classic from Michael Abrash, Snack Attack II is an enhanced Pac-Man clone that is no less addictive than the arcade classic.
The objective, as we all know all too well, is to gobble up jelly beans and other foods while avoiding the bad guys. Collecting special foods allows you to gobble up the bad guys in return. It's not much different from Pac-Man, although I think the levels are more devilishly designed (i. e. , there are a lot more dead ends in the upper levels), and there are more types of enemies than in the Atari game.
Overall, a great arcade classic that can't be faulted for anything, except that it could have been a bit more original. Recommended.
