Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Fireman Sam: The Hero Next Door

Fireman Sam is based on the British animated children's TV show where you are Fireman Sam himself and you must drive around the fictional Welsh town of Pontypandy helping the residents in this top view flick-screen driving game. You start in your fire engine at the station and you are given a job which has to be found and completed before returning to the station while a timer decreases. Jobs you will receive are to put out a fire, get Norman's head out of some railings, remove a kite from a roof or find various objects for other characters like keys and hammers. You have no idea of where the incident or lost item is so you drive around until you find it. Apart from the finding objects, the other jobs when the location is found turns into a single screen side view arcade sequence. You have to waggle the joystick to put out the flames or get Norman's head free, while the kite job has you avoiding objects and climbing a ladder. If you fail a job or run out of time then you have to report back to the station to receive a warning. Get three warnings and it is game over and there are two skill levels (easy or hard).