Path: news.uh.edu!barrett From: kcci1@central.susx.ac.uk (Alan L.M. Buxey) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews Subject: MINI-REVIEW: Diggers/Oscar CD32 Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.games Date: 26 Apr 1994 15:27:30 GMT Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett Lines: 106 Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator) Distribution: world Message-ID: <2pjbt2$gr7@masala.cc.uh.edu> Reply-To: kcci1@central.susx.ac.uk (Alan L.M. Buxey) NNTP-Posting-Host: karazm.math.uh.edu Keywords: game, CD-ROM, strategy, platform, commercial Originator: barrett@karazm.math.uh.edu Diggers/Oscar Commodore CD32 disc Software Company: (Millennium/Flair) Address: Quern House, Mill Court, Great Shelford, Cambridge, CB2 5LD, United Kingdom / ? Phone: (0223) 844 894 / (0661) 860 260 Fax: E-Mail: List Price: 29.99 Review by Jukka O. Kauppinen (Finland) and Alan Buxey (England) All prices are quoted in English Pounds. All phone/fax numbers are in each country's native format. To call from abroad remember to add the country code and delete the first figure of the dialing code. For example '+ BRITAIN - 444 - XXX XXXX' Jukka ----- (rev.3) These games come with CD32, with some packages at least. Diggers is an interesting, good looking, and good sounding game of gem digging and strategy, while Oscar is basic platform game. Diggers: you choose one of the four digging-races, and control them to glory and richness. Each race has its own reasons for getting loads of money, and you, master digger, must fulfill their dreams. The game can be controlled by joypad or mouse. Joypad isn't an ideal choice as it's a bit hard. Diggers certainly doesn't appeal to everyone, as it requires a certain "mood." Each game lasts quite long and it sure isn't arcade-action - you slowly design your mines, guide diggers, and buy new equipment for better efficiency. But personally, I think it is quite fun. As far as graphics go, they look very nice, and there are remarkably more of them than in the standard AGA floppy version. There are more animations and stills. Best of all, background sounds and music come from CD, so the audio experience is also good. The CD music, in my opinion, gives quite a nice feeling to the gameplay. Diggers is good choice for people who like management, business, and strategy-like games. Oscar: this looks great. It uses lots of Copper-produced colours as the background, and has very beautiful fore/background graphics. But gameplay sucks. There's nothing that keeps you playing and coming back time after time. Diggers is quite good, while Oscar fails. Alan ----(rev. 2) Diggers was hyped up by the press to be THE puzzle game 1993, but for me is simply does not cut the mustard (as the expression goes). The graphics are nice (AGA) and the mellow sounds from the CD make for an interesting atmosphere, but the shallow (and the slow) gameplay just trash the game unnecessarily. Oscar is far too colourful for its own good: the baddies are hard to see. But the sound IS good, and for a platform game, a generous number of "continues" are given. This game is the first of its genre for the CD32. The game has a nice idea, but the execution of this idea has failed miserably. All I can say is thank God this Disc came with the CD32: I wouldn't like to have bought it. There again, it gives bad impressions of CD32 capabilities. By the way, these games are now free of the pack and on the shelves :| RATINGS (Diggers/Oscar) ----------------------- Jukka Alan Graphics: ****/**** ****/***(too many) Sound: ****/*** ****/**** Playability: ***/*** ***/** Lastability: ***/* **/* Overall: ****/** ***/** About the reviewers.... Freelance journalism by Mail: E-Mail: Jukka O. Kauppinen Sankarinkatu 9A3 Grendel@Freenet.hut.fi MikroBITTI 74100 IISALMI tel/fax +358-77-13192 FINLAND Amiga 500/1200(030),PC386,CD32,C64 Freelance journalism by Mail: E-Mail: Alan L.M. Buxey 32 Tangier Road, Baffins kcci1@solx1.susx.ac.uk P.A.U.G. Portsmouth, Hants tel/fax PO3 6JN England Amiga 500/1200, CD32, Spectrum+3 ;) --- Daniel Barrett, Moderator, comp.sys.amiga.reviews Send reviews to: amiga-reviews-submissions@math.uh.edu Request information: amiga-reviews-requests@math.uh.edu Moderator mail: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews