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JASPER
Micromega / £6.95

Roger: Forget the nonsensical storyline - "mummy rat warning young Jasper about how dangerous the jungle becomes after the 'Furt is Wangled'" - because this superb offering is obviously intended as a covert training aid to Central American guerrillas. Twenty-two screens of lethal shrubbery, wildlife and obstacles have to be negotiated successfully, to recover the key and get safely back indoors ... to continue one's studies of Che Guevara's Collected Works in Basic, no doubt!
Everything kills with gory certainty, but a smart rat can collect all sorts of useful tackle along the way. Pacifists will relish Jasper's inability to slaughter vindictive rabbits, spiders, wasps, dogs, bears, scorpions, frogs and monkeys (not to mention the odd 'Contra' chucking spears and the sinister helicopter buzzing through some frames, blasting away at our Jasp). Avoidance and survival skills are the name of this game.
Assault course simulation is a strong feature, with ropes in situ to swing on and others lying about in handy coils for later use. Picking flowers helps jumping ability, food can be picked up for score and sustenance, umbrellas stored for cliff descent and the occasional aerosol spray used for dodgy weed disposal. Acquisition of Magic Potion restores lives, too. If you can handle attractive cartoon graphics, excellent arcade tactics and essential adventure strategy, then an awful lot of practice with Jasper could get you a decent job as a full-time guerrilla. 5/5

Dave: Jasper has a lot of very pretty graphics, but technically the game's a bit naff. Swinging on the ropes makes the tune slow down and the attribute problems are awful. 1/5

Ross: Another 'jumping/platform' game where you utilise various objects to aid your progress. Jasper's ability to crawl, use ropes and perform extra long jumps adds to the thrill, but not enough to keep me interested. 2.5/5

Dave 1/5
Ross 2.5/5
Roger 5/5

Dave Nicholls, Ross Holman, Roger Willis

HEY rat fans, Roland has a competitor in Jasper, a 22 screen arcade game which is about as much fun as bubonic plague.

In this overland, and overhyped, version of Manic Miner Jasper has to jump and crawl through assorted obstacles, such as yellow bears and spiders, collecting treasure chests and money bags which grow on trees. The bags give the furry rodent energy and extra lives, all of which you will need to get through even the first three screens.

One novelty which is not available in Manic Miner is that you can move off both edges of the screen into other scenarios without scrambling through exits. The game is not mappable as we found when we went off the first screen with its bionic bunny to a prowling wild cat. Moving back to what should have been a rabbit screen disclosed a new format with yellow panthers. Confused?

The game is not compatible with joysticks, or at least does not proclaim their use on the cassette insert. Once loaded the computer launches into a demo mode and no joysticks show up there either. Jasper may only require a few control keys to play but it is an obvious candidate for joysticks and it is amazing that they are not included.



John Gilbert

Producer: Micromega
Memory required: 48K
Retail price: £6.95
Language: machine code
Author: Derek Brewster

Micromega have two games in this issue, and both are by the same author. Kentilla is a text/graphics adventure in the classic vein, but with Jasper Derek Brewster has changed tack completely (although it could well be called an arcade/adventure game) and taken himself and Micromega far away from the universe of 3D. Jasper is an all swinging, all singing, all dancing jump, hop and collect game in the tradition of Jet Set Willy. However collecting here isn’t a question of collecting for points but because the various objects have a strictly defined purpose and use, which is what adds the adventure element.
Screenshot

Jasper’s a real swinger when it come to big cats

Jasper is a mouse and the basic object of the game is to guide him from the start screen to the finishing screen without getting finished off en route. There are 22 screens to negotiate, all linked in the sense that you can move from one to the next and back again (or in one case down and up again). This is rather important because Jasper can only carry five objects at a time which means often having to drop something and then return for it. Consequently the 22 screens become more in terms of completing the game. The items collected (by standing on them and pressing the collect key) appear in small boxes at the top of the playing area and they may be used by pressing the appropriate numerical key. Each object does have a specific use — ropes are pretty obvious, but umbrellas? Well think carefully — this is a cartoon comic strip — press the button when forced to leap off a high place and bingo — the brolly opens to lower Jasper to the ground safely. Once used an object vanishes.

Up against Jasper are a series of problems which include traditional platform strategical thinking, various animated animals like big cats, bunnies, wasps, spiders, snakes and scorpions, flowers which may be helpful or lethal and natives that throw coconuts and spears. Each screen has its own identity and share of the horrors. Fortunately Jasper has a mighty leap and can walk on two feet or duck down to all fours. Indeed, Jasper is a Mighty Mouse.
CRITICISM

‘What first struck me with this game is the sharpness and clarity of the numerous graphics, also their realism. A lot of hard work must have gone into creating the graphics. So much moves with this game, and everything that moves is so well animated. Many skills are required with Jasper, timing being one of the major ones, but this is also definitely a true arcade adventure (many others have claimed to be) because you need to find the objects to help you move onto the next screen; these objects are practical in the sense that you can and must use them, they’re not just there for points. No detail whatever has been spared on this game on either the graphical or content side. Jasper is just such a pleasing game to play seems to me to be perfect, and will need to be played a great deal to overcome the difficulty factor built in. It is, in my opinion, a distinct advance on the Jet Set Willy type of game. Worth every penny and I really recommend it.’

‘Jasper has the makings of a hit game — tremendous graphics, well calculated problems to overcome and a marvellous hero in Jasper himself. There are quite a few keys used to control the game, so familiarity with the layout is important, since some decisions have to be made in a great hurry. Fortunately one key can do several things like Y to P will make Jasper climb up a rope, release it if he’s swinging or just simply jump if he’s on the ground or a platform. This is not an easy game, each screen is likely to kill you off at a moment’s notice, but should you get through it safely there is a real time clock displayed, and the long term objectives are obviously to improve not only the score but also the time taken overall. On the subject of timing, there is also a time limit in which to get off a screen, which makes things even meaner. Very much a game of timing skill, Jasper is marvellous, and infuriatingly addictive.’

‘This is a sort of Jungle Trouble-plus game — very plus, because the graphics are excellent. There are so many different creatures, all of them beautifully animated and detailed, and all of them lethal! It has been constructed so that things seem impossible, when they aren’t — good timing and a good memory are essential. But the adventure elements such as collecting useful objects and then finding out what to do with them (some have obvious uses, others less so) adds immensely to the playability of Jasper. Your mouse is also very versatile — pity the fingers aren’t always as good! Micromega have fooled everybody with this game because it isn’t 3D at all and it just goes to show that a well thought out idea, well implemented doesn’t need 3D to make it addictive or fun to play. Jasper will take a long time to get through. Great game.’

Screenshot

If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise
COMMENTS

Control keys: A/S left/right, Y to P up (rope), jump and release rope (when swinging), H to ENTER down (rope), and duck, B to SPACE = get an object, 1 to 5 = use carried object by box number, Q to T plus 1 to 5 = drop carried object.
Joystick: none — too many keys
Keyboard play: highly responsive, with two directional keys next to each other, leaves other hand free for key selection, but a programmable joystick might be an advantage here
Use of colour: excellent, very varied and bright
Graphics: excellent, marvellous animation and detail, fast and smooth and without any flicker
Sound: continuous tune and spot effects
Skill levels: 1
Lives: 3
Screens: 22
General rating: addictive, highly playable and highly recommended.

Use of computer 86%
Graphics 96%
Playability 91%
Getting started 90%
Addictive qualities 94%
Value for money 89%
Overall 91%