Ladybug

[Get Ready] [Game in Progress]
"I can honestly say that this is one of Coleco's better titles. Though that isn't saying much, I actually like this game. One element is obviously lacking in the Intellivision port, and that is the SPECIAL letters. As a result, there are no bonus stages either, and red letters have no use other than to be eaten for 800 points if the player already has the EXTRA letters. Despite the missing elements, I can still honestly say that I like this title better than the respective Colecovision title. The sound effects are nearly the same between the two systems, and the Intellivision port obviously has more responsive play control (I never did get the hang of using those abominable raised discs!) and is more colorful as well.
"There are a couple minor details that leave a little room for improvement though. The sprite used to draw the angel (when the ladybug is captured) is low-res and its position is updated in large pixel increments, almost giving the impression that it is being drawn with background cards. Also, each beat of the timer is drawn using an entire background card, and as a result there are only half as many beats as there should be. There could have been two beats per background card simulated by using one sprite to draw one of the beats when it and the other beat sharing the same background card are different colors. Currently, two sprites are used to draw the ladybug, four sprites are used for each of the four enemies, and two sprites are used to draw the vegetable. Since the vegetable is immobile, only one sprite could have been used to draw it and it would still have two colors (a background card providing the second color) -- then the extra sprite could have been used for the timer.
"The game itself is great fun, and the Intellivision port doesn't disappoint. The lower skill levels are a little too easy though. Fans of the arcade game or Colecovision port should definitely get ahold of this title." Rating: 3/5 -- Mike Hayes
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