Hydra and seek

An abundance of glowing praise was heaped upon Gods from day one, though over the years a more dichotomous spread of opinion appears to have emerged, slathering it in Marmitey confusion. Gods no doubt nails the desired emblematic Greek mythological ambience through its masterfully illustrated environments and sprites, and certainly has fans and detractors alike nodding along to its physiologically unforgettable 'Into the Wonderful' intro screen track. That title is a literal statement of fact. Where the delirious dream rips apart at the seams begins with the sluggish, unresponsive controls, plodding pace and insane difficulty curve. If you can manage to tame the lumbering beast despite these incumbrances it's absolutely fantastic... and you're likely a pro-gamer with a gleaming trophy cabinet to prove it.

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Ain't no doubt, it's plain to see, a woman like you's no good for me

Superfrog was Team 17's best attempt at replicating console-style, anthropomorphic cute-animal-based platforming action for home computer gamers. I believe the magic formula was royal prince + witch's curse + superhero cape + Lucozade = Mario-Sonic beater hybrid. How close to achieving this were Team 17? Would they win a cigar? And if so, would it be healthier for Freddo than a bottle of artificially concocted, orange-flavoured, supposedly energy-boosting gunk?

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Waking up the neighbours

Some games are so ubiquitous they are even familiar to non-gamers; Atari's Paperboy is a prime example. That's why I put off writing about it for so long, assuming there would be nothing remotely fresh to say about the classic, isometric newspaper-delivering sim that - against the odds - took suburbia by storm. I did eventually hit upon something... and it wasn't a stout-looking bulldog or obliviously reversing car. Well, it's different, I ticked that box.

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I am Zuul. I am the Gatekeeper.

Any gamers who lived through the Sonic the Hedgehog era and didn't own a SEGA console will vividly remember their perpetual yearning for an official, authentic port, or failing that, a clone that could match the blue speedball's extreme pace and effortlessly nonchalant attitude. For Amiga owners et al, the closest we ever came to achieving this lofty ideal was prescribed by Gremlin Graphics' Zool; the ninja hailing from the Nth dimension. Note that I didn't for a second allude to the Formicidae family because I wouldn't dream of planting that absurd notion in your minds. He's definitely not an ant of any kind. Bearing any remote similarity to attributes that constitute antness are purely coincidental, so should be relegated to the attic of your brain where you store cobwebs, dead bluebottles and repressed memories of childhood trauma.

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No Turrican is an island

Very little concerning Factor 5's beloved Turrican series is actually original. Its a melangey, hotchpotch of mishmashy jambalaya, borrowing bits and pieces of pop-culture from here, there and everywhere. Their derivative DNA in no way detracts from the works of art that constitute at least the first two entries in the sextet. On the contrary, aside from being rock-solid, brain-mashing fiends that only a pro-gamer could beat, they sail extremely close to judgement as exemplars of pixely perfection. That said, it's immensely good fun to dissect each Turrican in the franchise, drawing parallels between the sundry mediums where they cross paths.


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