Everyones a Wally

Copyright : MikroGen | Reviewed by : Ritchardo

Wally is back, this time with his family in the first ever Multi Role Arcade Adventure. The purpose of the game is to find the combination for the safe and then pay the gang?s wages. The combination is split and can be found in different locations. Not only must the combination be identified, but also the right items to collect the combination must be used. The locations are many and varied, and contain zany arcade sequences that must be completed to finish the adventure. Each character has specific abilities and it is up to the player to select which one will perform a particular task.

This is the second in the Wally Week series.

Graphics

A massive step forward from Pyjamarama, Wally Week is now fully animated in glorious Technicolor and so is the world in which he inhabits. Each of the six main protagonists - Wally, Wilma, Tom, Dick, Harry and Herbert are well designed characters and have strong personalities that shine through, just by looking at them!

The entire presentation of the game is very slick and it?s amazing to think that this game was released as early as 1985 as it still looks good today.

Sound

Given away free with the game was a truly atrocious song by Mike Berry. If you ask nicely around the CPC Zone forums I?m sure you?ll find somebody who?ll be willing to give you a copy? sadists that they are! Anyway, the music on the tape is the same as the title tune (only not a computerised version, obviously). Other than this crime against humanity, the game is restricted to some pretty lack lustre beeps and clicks.

Gameplay

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Everyone?s a Wally is one of the hardest arcade adventures you?re ever likely to play. The difficulty comes on two different levels: The first is due to the extremely tricky nature of the puzzles and the second stems from the various endurance eating baddies that zip around the screen threatening to steal all your energy.

The multi-character system, which could so easily have been a novelty feature, is actually implemented quite well and adds nicely to the appeal and difficulty of the game as the characters tend to be nowhere to be seen when you most need them. The fact that you need certain individuals to complete certain tasks means you are left with a number of head scratching problems to try and overcome, only to find that you were on the right lines, just using the wrong character!

My one criticism of the game is that it is probably a little too difficult without a little help but, with a lot of perseverance, the game does become addictive and you?ll find yourself burning the midnight oil trying to crack the puzzles only to run out of energy when you finally do click on to what you?re supposed to do!

Definitely an improvement on Pyjamarama by building upon everything that made the first game a success, Everyone?s a Wally is probably the highlight of the series that looks as good as it is to play. Brilliant.