DIZZY - THE ULTIMATE CARTOON ADVENTURE By: Codemasters Download: dizzy1.zip Hints & Tips Eggs. Everyone loves eggs. Well the Oliver Twins must love eggs, the star of their graphic adventure Dizzy is an egg. From the number of sequels this game spawned one must also assume that most people don't hate eggs either. Why an egg? Easy to draw I suppose. Why an egg with boxing gloves for hands which are constantly flapping? Why an egg with feet but no legs which spends most of the time somersaulting? Sorry I guess I am not talented/insane enough to work that one out.

So whether you like it or not in Dizzy - The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure sees you controlling an egg named Dizzy from the mystical kingdom of Katamandu. You start the game beside an empty cauldron with a mission, destroy the evil wizard Zaks. What's so bad about Zaks? Well according to the game instructions he spends his day casting spells which turn people old or blind. He is also responsible for rain on Sundays which ruins cricket games across the land. Well I see nothing wrong with stopping dull cricket matches but hurting people just won't do. Being an all round (or should that be oval) good guy, Dizzy sets off to rescue the day.

It's just as well that Dizzy recently discovered a stone slab whilst searching for berries in the haunted forest. Inscribed on said slab was the recipe for a potion which can cure athlete's foot and destroy the wizard Zaks. A cure for athlete's foot isn't of much use to an egg but the latter will surely come in handy. Unfortunately for you the ingredients needed for the potion are not available at the local Safeway. You will take control of Dizzy and go searching across the land for the exotic ingredients needed to make the potion. Once you manage that you have to find a way of entering Zak's castle to confront the heinous villain.

The game itself is very similar to all the Codemasters graphic adventures of the time. You travel across the game world looking for the potion ingredients and at the same time avoiding enemies (spiders, bats, birds), traps (falling bridges) and numerous obstacles. Many screens see the player having to jump across pits and onto moving platforms, but don't class this as a bog standard platformer. Good reflexes will only get you so far in this game. The old mind will be needed because you won't be able to complete the game without solving a number of puzzles. These puzzles consist mainly of picking up the number of objects scattered around and using them to give you access to other parts of the game. For example, early on in the game you will find a rusty mining cart blocking the entrance to the mine. By using a grease gun on the cart you can move it out of the way allowing you to enter the mine.

I personally love these kind of games and think anyone can pick up a copy of Dizzy and get some enjoyment from it. Critics of Dizzy may complain that things get frustrating when you misjudge a jump and fall to your death. Dizzy tends to roll off platforms which can leave players ripping their hair out in anger. If it happens, just calm down and be sure not to jump from that spot the next time. If you learn from your mistakes and collect the numerous extra lives available anyone can experience the joy of completing the adventure. It's great fun whilst it lasts and thankfully there are many more Dizzy games out there for you to move onto when its done.

Rating: 86%