Push-Over - Ocean RRP œ25-99-œ29.99
           (Platform game for PC, Amiga and ST)

                 Reviewed by Alan Medley

The editor, she who must be obeyed, 'it me on the 'ead ('ead
'itter - geddit?), and politely requested this year's contribution
to SynTax. I resisted for a while but you know how it is when the
noise in the ear becomes almost continuous (tinnitus?). So I
thought I'd write a review. As you might remember, I'm not an
adventurer, and she had noticed that I'd spent the odd hour or two
playing Push-Over, so here goes.

'Colin Curly (TM) has lost his yummy Quavers (R) down an anthill.
Upset and hungry, he is delighted when his old buddy, G.I.ANT (TM)
appears to lend his assistance. G.I.ANT (TM), a soldier ant, is
super strong and able to gain access to the small anthill
entrance. Straightforward, huh? ...... NOT!'

The opening paragraph from the Push-Over manual. Nice eh? Initial
impressions of the game itself are not much better. You are
treated to a tedious six frame cartoon showing Colin Curly (TM)
losing his Quavers (R) and G.I.ANT (TM) retrieving them.
Admittedly it's well drawn and nicely animated but it soon becomes
tedious because you can't avoid it. You see it every time you load
the game.

Push-Over is a platform game based on the idea of pushing over
dominoes. G.I is the hero and he has to make his way through 100
different locations. He (you) has to re-arrange the dominoes on
each screen so that pushing one domino will set up a chain
reaction culminating in felling the 'trigger' block which opens
the exit door.

Just to make it more interesting, there are ten different types of
domino ranging from the 'tumbler' which will keep rolling until
it's stopped by a fallen block, to the 'exploder' which explodes
when hit, leaving a gap in the platform. The different

domino types are colour coded with red stripes in various
formations.

The early screens are designed to get you used to the various
domino types and are pretty simple. You usually need to move only
one or two dominoes and then select the right one to push.
Movement is simply controlled using the cursor keys and the space
bar.

The game is played against the clock and, the more difficult the
puzzle, the more time you're allowed. Successful completion of a
level gives you a code number so you don't have to start from
scratch each time you play.

As you move through the levels, it starts to get more difficult.
Some of the screens are incredibly complex. The only way to
understand them is to start pushing dominoes over to see what
happens. After a good deal of trial and error, mainly error, you
start to see the light. If you really get stuck, you're allowed to
see a clue but only after the time limit has expired. Trouble is,
these cryptic clues often don't make a great deal of sense.  Back
to the trial and error.

It's quite a good game and, luckily, it's not addictive. Oh,
alright. It is addictive. It's just that I don't like to be beaten
by a simple logic puzzle. Anyway, I've managed to break my
addiction. Enforced separation from my computer for two weeks
worked wonders.

There are some nice touches in the game. As you get further in,
you find that you don't always start the chain reaction by pushing
over a block. You might need to drop a block from one level to the
next. Sometimes you have to make moves while the chain reaction is
under way. I'll own up to having done 72 levels and it's not
getting any easier.

Old G.I can be a bit of a pain. If you don't touch the keyboard
for about 6 seconds, he makes this awful yapping sound which
presumably means 'get on with it'. Anyway, since when have soldier
ants been able to yap?

I mentioned the tedium of the loading screens. There is also a
long gap between levels when an army of soldier ants sets out the
code number and makes ready for the next screen. When you're on a
roll, it seems to take forever and, again, there's no way round
it.

Push-Over doesn't have the charm of its big rival, Lemmings but
I'd say give it a go if you fancy something different. I hope to
be onto something else by this time next year. Alan M (TM)

The character Colin Curly (TM) is the property of Smiths Crisps
Limited (C) 1987.