Captain Planet

Copyright : Mindscape | Reviewed by : Malc Jennings

Ahh it?s been a long time since I ever watched an episode of Captain Planet thought I still remember the theme tune "Captain Planet, he?s our hero, gonna take pollution down to zero"..ahem..anyway in this home computer version of the polution killing cartoon you must take on the evil forces that threaten the earth. Sounds a little like Greenpeace to me.

Graphics

The Amstrad CPC version of Captain Planet looks great! I first saw this game on the Amiga when it was bundled free with the A500 but the CPC version isn?t far behind the good old 16-bit days. Mindscape have managed to keep the appearance of Captain Planet (kind of a cross between Superman and The Joker) similar on each and every conversion, yes even the ZX Spectrum and the colours stand out just as much as any other version of the game - if not sharper.

Animation is great as you not only get to walk on the ground but also fly about the screen shooting fireballs at oncoming evil doing, earth harming scum. The fire effect is pretty neat also as it slowly fades away on shooting. End level guardians (screen grab 2) are very well animated and look spot-on with a massive range of attack modes, it makes the game more difficult but at least it?s less predictable.

Sound

Sound is pretty average and I must admit to being a little bit disappointed by the distinct lack of the original theme music from the cartoon, sure there is music on the welcome screen but without the original theme it just doesn?t sit right in your mind. In game sounds on the other hand are very active, there are plenty of explosions, power-ups, power-downs warnings and more to keep you happy during your experience. Like we said it?s not a bad job by any stretch but we are knocking a point off for the music.

Gameplay

There are lots and lots of TV licensed platform games on these classic machines and it?s no secret that the Amstrad CPC has had it?s fair share over the years but only a few of them have actually resembled playable games.

Captain Planet is one of those few, despite the cheesey cartoon it is based on the game itself is a fun and addictive platformer that can be picked up, played and enjoyed by all ages from the moment you hit the fire button. A lot of people might not agree with this but we certainly recommend you to give it a try, forget what you?ve heard and see what you think - it?s not big and won?t take long.

The big green haired man is here to save the day.