Dizzy Down the Rapids

by Allister Brimble, Michael A. Sanderson, Paul Griffiths
Code Masters Ltd
Unknown

Label: Code Masters
Memory: 48K/128K
Price: £3.99 Tape
Reviewer: Jason Baptiste

Are you feeling under the weather and haven't had a laugh in yonks? Is your head is in a dizzy spell and seeking an adventurous game. Well look no further, this game is a right barrel of laughs!

Yes indeed, Dizzy down the rapids is a game which will put egg on your face if you're not a bit of a dab hand at steering barrels over waterfalls. Two players can play the game simultaneously, one controlling Dizzy himself and the other controlling his ubiquitous sidekick and long time beau Daisy.

The story all started in an enchanted forest while the two young eggs were picking blueberries. They were having such a good time they didn't notice that they were drifting further and further into the forest when suddenly, in its depths, they were confronted by their old adversary Rockwart the troll and a gang of ferocious looking henchtrolls. To escape these evil enemies Dizzy and Daisy run to the river, jump into two barrels and shoot off down the rapids.

You'll certainly crack some shells in Dizzy Down The Rapids as you control your individual egg in a barrel, trying desperately to avoid collisions with rocks and islands and vicious animals. There's is no wine in this barrel, just a limited supply of apples which Dizzy and Daisy use to defend themselves. Face crazy crocodiles, barmy butterflies and terrifying trolls all of whom will try to sink your barrel and boil your egg. On the river bank there are also people throwing apples in an attempt to halt your characters as they ride through waterfalls and frantically negotiate the rapids.

There's only a limited amount of apples so use them carefully or you'll quickly find your self unarmed. However Dizzy may collect extra apples by shooting crocs and other creatures who leave behind a supply of fruit. There are also bonus points hidden on green rocks in the middle if the stream. But watch out, you can lose a lot of energy points by doing this as the barrel might take the wrong direction on the stream and you'll have to work your way into the centre again.

When your energy has been completely depleted you will lose a life but luckily Dizzy has four in store so the game doesn't finish too quickly.

Graphics are clear and colourful and the game handles well but it could have been made a bit more adventurous by having many different enemies and more varied landscapes as you travel down stream. To sum it up in an egg shell Dizzy down the rapids is a very simple game concept, reminiscent of Toobin' that is moderately enjoyable but wont retain your interest for long.

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ED:
The most annoying thing about Dizzy Down The Rapids is the limitations of its two player mode, you keep having to wait for the other play to catch up - what a bummer. That said it's not a bad game for really young Dizzy fans but anyone else will quickly tire of it.

Graphics: 78%
Sound: 65%
Playability: 70%
Lastability: 65%
Overall: 67%

Summary: Dizzy Down The Rapids was not really my kind of game... It's just a little too boring. Although you have to shoot everything in sight there's no real competition to speak of and although it looks moderately good it's rather slow and hasn't much lastability.

Transcript by Chris Bourne