Sinclair ZX Spectrum

Magic Meanies

The plot is that you're a good wizard called Meltec, who turns lead into gold. For plot related reasons all the lead is in the neighbouring country of Zeldor and guarded by the evil Magic Meanies, so to get the lead you tele-port in and steal it. The game starts just after you've teleported in and the action starts almost immediately. The game screen is a green field with black paths on it. The Magic Meanies run around these paths and if they catch you, you lose a life. Scattered around are blue 'lead' crystals and a magic cherry and using cursor keys you march through the greenness to collect them. As you do so you create new paths which eventually the Magic meanies will find and will run down to catch you. If you cut across one of the pre-existing paths they are patrolling they'll find you much faster. Once you start moving in any direction you keep moving until you hit the edge of the screen or get caught. If it looks like you're about to get caught you have five crystal balls that you can fire at the chasing 'Meanies.One shot kills one meanie and every 'Meanie that gets killed is replaced, so wiping them out and cleaning up the crystals at leisure is not an option. In addition you can only fire in the direction you're traveling so you must turn and fire very quickly if there's a 'Meanie that's getting really really close. Also scattered around the greenness are red apples. These can be pushed into tunnels to block the 'Meanies or if you're really quick and really clever you can undermine one so that it falls onto a 'Meanie and kills it. The game has a 'skill level' that is pre-set to 1 but can be any number between 1 and 9. Points are scored for 'Meanies killed and crystals collected. You move to the next level when the magic cherry has been collected. The game is over when all three lives have been lost, then you get to enter your name - if you've achieved a high score for this session, before being returned to the start screen to play again. This game requires quick thinking and nimble fingers to play. Some old reviews called it a clone of Mr. Do!. If you have not played that game then the best way to describe the game-play is that its like a cross between the 'being chased around a maze' element of Pac-Man and the dig new tunnels/paths element of Digger with a shooty bit thrown in. It .