Spot Goes To Hollywood
Sega Mega Drive
£34.99
SPOT, Cool Spot to you and me, is chilling out again. In this, his latest adventure, he explores Hollywood and some of its different film sets. By the end of his escapade, Spot will have swaggered his way through pirate, sci-fi, jungle and horrorovies.
Controlling Spot is as easy as it comes. But then again it would be, wouldn't it? You see Spot is a basic sort of guy. His only form of defence is the Cool Spot hot shot and his only power up is a pair of shoes that enables him to jump higher. While this simplicity is appreciated in the early stages of the game, the gameplay becomes rather repetitive.
Your only task throughout the game is to make sure you find the required amount of spots to open the exit of a particular stage. To complete an area you must also confront and defeat the end-of-level boss.
Apart from some scenery changes and the different enemies Spot encounters, his antics remain the same. Just to make things a little easier, after each level you will be given a password.
While Spot Goes To "jollyvod is a reasonably enjoyable romp, there is nothing outstanding about it. There are some secret areas to be found, but don't expect any miracles - you'll have already seen everything this game has to offer.
Graphics: 80%
Sound: 72%
Gameplay: 68%
The 11th Hour
PC CD-ROM minimum system requirements: 486DX2/66mhz; 8MB RAM, 4MB /hard disk space, DOS 5.0 or Windows 95; Dual speed CD-ROM drive; Local Bus Video.
£32. 99
EVER since the spree of murders which hit the town of Harley in this game's predecessor - The 7th Guest, it has remained deadly quiet. That was until the mysterious disappearance of journalist Robin Morales. Apparently she vanished while investigating an abandoned mansion, which was owned by toy-maker Henry Stauf, and her disappearance has, rekindled horrors of old.
You, as Morales's colleague and lover, set out to discover what exactly did happen. But what you find isn't exactly comforting. The stifling decay of this old house has embraced the whole town in a legacy of utter madness.
When The 7th Guest was released, it sold in huge numhers due to its incredible sound and graphics. They were head and shoulders above anything that was available at the time. Hindsight has shown that that was all The 7th Guest had to offer, and behind its flashy exterior was basically a simplistic puzzle game.
The 11th Hour is not too far removed from the original but this time there is a lot more variety to the puzzles. With its haunting soundtrack and stunning graphics, it would be almost impossible not to be enamoured with the game's excellent atmospherics.
You can only explore the deserted mansion and find your loved one by completing a programme of puzzles. Each one solved will open up a completely new area. Some of these examinations of your brain will prove to be quite difficult and always expect the unexpected. This game does carry an over-18 certificate and it's not just because the puzzles are hard there is blood and gore, aplenty.
The 11th Hour can be both good and bad. If you are playing on your own you will quickly become frustrated. Some of the tests will draw you in and you may not be able to see the trees from the wood. A far better approach, and much more fun, is to gather a few friends around and collectively you might solve the biggest puzzle of all. What exactly did happen to Robin?
Graphics: 93%
Sound: 94%
Gameplay: 88%