Lemmings Paintball

                      Reviewed by Sue

I took this game on holiday with me last year because I thought it
would be a nice little pick-up-for-30-minutes kind of game. And I
was quite right. I've always had a soft spot for Lemmings, those
cute little tousle-haired bundles of joy, who shout 'yippee' at
regular intervals, even when they're being dropped from a great
height.

The original Lemmings games saw them trying to get from one part
of the screen to an exit gate, and the aim was to get a certain
percentage of Lemmings through safely. Unfortunately some had to
be lost by being turned into blockers or bombs but, sadly that was
the only way to win, sacrificing a few to save the rest.

In Lemmings Paintball the game is somewhat different. It's a
'Capture the Flag' kind of game. You start with one or more
Lemmings and have to collect a certain number of flags. On the
early levels you just have one Lemming and one flag. Later you
work up to four.  There are four difficulty levels, four
background styles and 100 levels in all.

Apart from the first level, it isn't as simple as walking forward,
picking up the flag and saying 'Yippee!'. There are levers to push
to raise or lower land, or move barriers.  To help or hinder there
are flames, sliding walkways, catapults and balloons which float
the Lemmings across the landscape. And, yes, you have opponents.
More little Lemmings armed with paintball guns. But luckily you
have one too, and by firing it at another Lemming, you can knock
him out. Just be sure you do it to them before they do it to you
and it's 'game over' time. Sometimes you have to be very quick on
the draw when some of them lie in wait for your Lemming as he
drops from a trapdoor in the sky at the start of a level.

There's always a time limit on the levels, just to make things a
bit harder. All the levels have cute names like the earlier games
did. Some of them give a hint like 'What Happens When I Stand
here?' and 'What Does This Button Here Do?'.

When you have two or more Lemmings they have to work together to
solve the level. This means one might stand and pull a lever so
that another can use a moving platform, head onto a new area and
get the flag.

Though you can switch from one Lemming to another by clicking on
them, it's better to use their icons on the bottom of the screen.
Otherwise it's easy to have the wrong one selected and walk them
off a high point, for example, and into oblivion.  Lemmings, not
being the brightest of creatures, will always take the shortest
route between two points, whether it's safe or over molten lava!
It's up to you to save them from themselves.

This is great fun. Most of the levels are balanced just right.
Others are swines! I've got a few moans. You only use the mouse
for control. I would have liked to be able to use the keyboard
too, to move the Lemming, while using the mouse to fire my gun.
And you can't scroll round the level to see what's what. But apart
from that, marvellous! The game is quite old (1995-ish) but stands
up well.


















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