From:    E3Y (3.Spaceman)              
  Subject: Bubble Bobble Review          
                                         
  Game: B U B B L E   B O B B L E        
                                         
  From: 8-Bit Software (as disc TBI-119) 
                                         
  Price: usual PD price applies - 50p if 
  disc and p&p supplied, 1 quid if not.  
                                         
                                         
    I would be surprised if anybody who  
  had ever heard of or played this game  
  didn't get more than a wee bit excited 
  by the thought of playing it on their  
  own BBC micro. It stood as a classic   
  of the platform game genre in the      
  arcades and again when translated for  
  the majority of home computer systems  
  so the first thought in my mind was    
  'How will it stand in comparison on    
  the Beeb?'.                            
    For the great unwashed who may just  
  conceivably not have heard of this     
  game then here's the plot as I recall  
  it: The evil Bonner has kidnapped the  
  lady loves of the two dragons Bub and  
  Bob and holds them prisoner at the end 
  of the cave of monsters.               
    You have to guide Bub (and Bob if    
  you have access to a second player)    
  through the 100 screens of monsters to 
  defeat Bonner and rescue your damsels  
  in distress.                           
    To achieve this you must clear every 
  level of its monsterous inhabitants    
  and finally face the evil one himself- 
  no mean feat!                          
    Bub and Bob are both capable of      
  horizontal movement, can jump and spit 
  bubbles with which they trap the bad   
  guys for a short time. The trick then  
  is to catch the bubbled-up nasty and   
  burst the bubble with it still inside  
  to remove it from play. Once "popped"  
  a monster will become a harmless piece 
  of fruit or somesuch which may be      
  collected for points. Just don't take  
  too long or the invincible ghost will  
  appear and start to home in on you!    
    That's the idea anyway. So, how well 
  does the game do?                      
    Well, upon booting up you are given  
  the gist of the game along with the    
  keys which may seem strange but are    
  really quite comfortable - just as     
  well as they're not redefinable! A     
  professionally drawn picture pops up   
  next and this is when it becomes       
  apparent that the game was not         
  originally written as PD but as a      
  commercial game for Firebird circa     
  1988! I think perhaps they didn't want 
  to release it as disc only - which it  
  would have to be as it loads each of   
  the 100 screens in one at a time       
  (although the delay is barely          
  noticeable).                           
    Then you get into the game and it's  
  a pretty damn good conversion. It can  
  still run at a reasonable speed with   
  two players shooting bubbles like      
  they're going out of style and almost  
  all of the special features have been  
  implemented: water bubbles,fire        
  bubbles, umbrellas, crucifixes but     
  I'll not spoil the game by telling you 
  what they all do.                      
    Having played Bubble Bobble in the   
  arcades, I did have one or two minor   
  niggles with this version but then     
  this version has features that         
  compensate for these slight            
  annoyances. Well, all except one. This 
  version has no "continue game" feature 
  which a game of this size really       
  needs.                                 
    Purely for the purposes of reviewing 
  I cheated my way right to the end of   
  the game and was very satisfied with   
  all that I saw.                        
                                         
                                         
  Graphics: low resolution but bold and  
  very colourful MODE2. Tops!            
                                         
  Sound: the jolly tune from the         
  original game survives here along with 
  some spot effects. Brilliant!          
                                         
  Gameplay: A joy to play or just to     
  watch (especially on 2 player mode).   
  Pure genius!                           
                                         
  Value for money: A brand new           
  commercial quality game for 50pence/   
  1pound?! It doesn't get any better     
  than this!                             
                                         
  Overall: If I haven't gushed enough    
  already let me just say that I         
  neglected playing on a Sega Game Gear  
  that I'd only just got my hands on the 
  day before to play this game. I'd tell 
  you to sell your Grandparents but at   
  this price there's just no need!       
                                         
   Buy B U B B L E  B O B B L E  today!! 
                                         
  Game review by 3.Spaceman (E3Y)        
                                         
  ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,