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Brickman is a 2D
platformer with all the classic elements of ladders, enemies
and so on.
You have to paint all the bricks on the level (by
walking over them) and avoid the various obstacles out to stop
you. These start with the annoying bugs (squish them!) and
include fires, ghosts, one-way blocks, dripping tar, and
pigeons that, er, ruin your paintwork. New items appear as
levels advance.
It's true what
fashion gurus are telling us - the retro look is in. Brickman
is an excellent example. I've rapidly grown tired of all the
3D "run around with a gun" shooting games that seem to be all
that modern consoles have to offer and I get the impression
that I'm not the only one.
Many modern
games have reams of commands that require half the manual to
explain them, not to mention an extra pair of hands. Brickman
has... six buttons.
The arrow keys move, spacebar hurls
brushes and Z makes you jump. Anyone with merely two hands and
a brain will get the hang of the controls in a minute. And
once you're in, a game can last a long time. Brickman is
generous with extra lives.
The graphics and
sound are both retro. The graphics are blocky and high
contrast, the pixels huge. The sound consists entirely of
bleeps and bloops.
I love them
both! Indeed, they are deceptively retro - the smooth
scrolling and fast pace reveal a lot of care has gone into the
graphics, and these days it is more complicated to create such
simple sounds than to sample or purchase ready made 'proper'
sound effects!
Brickman is an
excellent game. Anyone old enough to remember how games used
to be will love the nostalgia. Younger players may find it a
culture shock, but it is easy to get into and difficult to
leave. And, with a level designer thrown in, there's no reason
for the fun to stop.
Brickman
System Requirements:
- IBM-PC and
100% compatibles
- MS Windows
95/98/NT/ME/2000/XP
- DirectX
7.0 or higher
- 800x600
capable Graphics Card
- 10Mb HD
space
- Sound Card
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