Tropical Trouble

[Title Screen] [Bridge Scene] [Get the Handkerchief] [Waiting to get Booted]
"Imagic has certainly had some hits and misses. This game falls comfortably under the categorization of 'miss.' It is a blatant ripoff of Beauty & the Beast. The characters are the same although they have different names (Bashful Buford becomes Clumsy Clarence; Tiny Mabel becomes Darling Doris; and Horrible Hank becomes Beach Bruiser.) and the idea is very similar. The big difference is that this game takes place on a tropical island rather than a tall city building, and is much less exciting to play.
"A view of the island appears between each scene, with the location of the characters given by the animated icon of Clarence. Also seen between scenes is the current score, number of lives, and number of islands cleared. The first two scenes take place on the beach, the second pair of scenes takes place in the jungle, the third pair of scenes takes place near the volcano, and the final scene takes place on the bridge.
"The first six scenes progress as follows. Clarence stands in place while Doris calls for help until Bruiser kicks Clarence to the left side of the screen. The screen scrolls while the legs of Doris, bring held by Bruiser, are seen kicking in the air just off the right side of the screen. Clarence must reach the right side of the screen to catch up with Bruiser and Doris to complete the scene. Strewn about the ground are obstacles which cause Clarence to trip: clams on the beach; bushes in the jungle; and fire at the volcano. Clarence can run around them or jump over them. Doris periodically drops handkerchiefs which make Clarence temporarily invincible if he catches them. While he is invincible, he will not trip.
"If Clarence goes off the left side of the screen, he loses a life. How he dies varies between scenes: on the beach he is bitten by a snake; in the jungle a monkey drops a coconut on his head; at the volcano a fireball falls on top of him. In addition to the obstacles on the ground, there is another obstacle, varying between scenes, that also makes Clarence trip: on the beach a snake slithers back and forth; in the jungle a monkey throws coconuts at Clarence; and at the volcano fireballs fall from the sky. The player earns 50 points for each handkerchief caught and 100 points each time Clarence catches up with Doris and Bruiser.
"At the bridge scene, Bruiser stands in the middle of the bridge, with Doris to the right and Clarence to the left. Bruiser bounces boulders at Clarence, which he must either duck under or jump over. If a boulder hits Clarence, he loses a life. If Clarence catches Bruiser, he falls into the river below and Doris is saved. The player then earns bonus points and an extra life and starts over from the beginning.
"Everything about this game is mediocre at best. Gameplay is repetitive and linear, the graphics are above average but seem out of place, making the game look silly, and the play control is stiff. Maneuvering Clarence around obstacles is tedious and becomes downright impossible on higher levels when the ground is littered with so many obstacles that the player usually ends up in a cycle of jumping and tripping until he either gets lucky and picks up a handkerchief or loses a life. Don't be enticed by the packaging; there is no redeeming value to this game. Pick it up for collecting purposes only, otherwise avoid this game." Rating: 1/5 -- Mike Hayes
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