The BBC and Master Computer Public Domain Library

Professional, Originally Released On Cassette Only

Game Type          : Arcade; Production Line Simulation

Author             : A. J. Turner

Standalone Release(s)   : 1985: BUN FUN, Squirrel, £6.50

Compilation Release(s)   : None

Stated compatibility    : Electron

Actual compatibility    : Electron

Supplier            : SQUIRREL, 4 Bindloss Avenue, Eccles, MANCHESTER

Disc compatibility     : CDFS E00, DFS E00

Instructions

BUN FUN will test your aptitude for work on a factory production line. Your 'aim' is to earn a piece rate of `10 per hour. Good rhythm and timing are essential to become rich!

Plain buns arrive on a conveyor belt from the left. All you have to do is squirt icing on them. It's easy - but there is a snag! Your mate has gone fishing so you have to lob the walnuts on as well!

Another snag is that wasted cakes, icing and walnuts will be knocked off your earnings. If too much waste builds up inside the machine, it will jam the belt - so keep an eye on the 'Waste' meter!

You may choose a trial period (in minutes) and a work rate (in pounds) before each new game.

Game Controls

C - Drop Icing,   N - Drop Walnuts

Instructions' Source       :  BUN FUN (Squirrel) On Screen Instructions

Review (ELBUG - Combined Review Of BUN FUN, SUPER GOLF and TRAFALGAR)

The three games reviewed here all come from a relatively new software company called Squirrel Software. The first of the three, BUN FUN, has a rather uninspiring name and, once running on the Electron, turned out to be a rather uninspiring game.

You are in a factory which makes buns, and you have been left in charge of placing the icing and nuts on top of the buns. Your pay at the end of the day depends on the number of completed buns you produce and the amount of waste you create.

After playing this game a couple of times, I had no desire to continue playing it. Rating: *

The second game, SUPER GOLF, was an improvement over the last, in that there was more to think about and it was enjoyable to come back and play it again. The choice of colours used in the program made it difficult, often impossible, to follow the ball (although if you are a keen spectator of golf on television, you may well be accustomed to the fine art of finding the ball!).

Up to four players are allowed to play this game, and at the end of every hole, a score card is displayed for each player. The course consists of the usual eighteen holes, with the option to miss out any hole.

It is a pity that this game does not generate sound effects, especially for driving off, and that the ball does not roll on if it lands on the side of the mountain the program often creates for some of the greens. Rating: **

The third and final game called TRAFALGAR was the best out of all the games from Squirrel Software. The object of the game is to sink as many of the opposition's ships as possible at the Battle of Trafalgar.

The game allows two players or one player and the computer to do battle. Sometimes the computer seems to have a remarkable aim, especially when it's losing!

The graphics are clear and well designed, with interesting sound effects. The visual effects of the ships exploding and sinking were particularly striking. Rating: ***

In conclusion, BUN FUN was not an enjoyable game, and SUPER GOLF did not play as realistic a game of golf as other similar programs on the market. TRAFALGAR is the best game so far from Squirrel Software, though if they want to compete seriously with some of the larger software producers, they will have to increase the standard of their games software quite considerably.

Philip Le Grand, ELBUG 1. 5