Reviews

This in-depth arcade game with some puzzle elements is great fun to play. It stands out because of the humourous plot, the "Beano" style comic characters and the technically excellent sprite routines. Playing the part of the eponymous Nipper, you must generally explore around your local town, creating all sorts of mischief, whilst avoiding contact with the town's inhabitants. Bumping into adults, pets or ghosts causes Jack's nappy rash to worsen, eventually losing a life when the rash meter fills up, although you start with a generous five nappies to get through.

It's not immediately obvious how to carry out some of the mischieveous tasks, which makes the game so much fun finding out. The first room of the game, Jack's bedroom sets the "naughty" tone quite well as you attempt to retrieve your peashooter, which has deliberately been placed out of your reach. It's also hilarious to see that ghosts and strange creatures infest the family home, but no-one really minds this. You also have to chuckle at the comical gait of the resident pet dog as he scurries around upright.

You'll never see smoother or as flicker-free sprite animation in a speccy game which really is perfect here. The locations whilst being predominantly monochrome do often have objects like posters and signs with different colours. These are often placed higher up than Jack can jump, presumably to avoid parts of Jack from changing colour.

If there is any minor criticism then it is that occasionally you can be very unlucky and lose a life due to Jack being awkwardly stuck right on another moving sprite for a few seconds. This can happen in certain rooms where Jack can get partially obstructed by objects. But, as you become better at the game, you get more adept at avoiding this, or at least escaping it quickly.

Overall, a classic and absorbing speccy game with a good sense of humour that's always fun to spend some time playing. It also spawned an equally enjoyable sequel.

1986 Gremlin Graphics Software (UK)
by Greg Holmes, John Holmes, Peter Harrap and Nick Laa.

This game is a real treat for any comics fan. Together with the Monty series, the Wally Week and a few others, Jack the Nipper delivers a fest to the eyes and a grand dose of good disposition. Every character is very well portrayed, even better than the pictures in the booklet which I find a bit too nasty. And then there is the city where everything happens, thats keeps up the ambience quite well, even with monochromatic color.

The games purpose is to be as naughty as possible "doing the things you always wanted to do but dare not (YOU WIMP!!)" - can be read in the instructions.

If you are thinking of nasty things to do, well think again. You will find a good source of nasty behaviour on 'How to be a Complete Bastard', but Jack is a baby after all, and all he wants to do is to play innocent pranks on the passing folks. ...Is it really? NO! He will push everyone's buttons and put you to the test! Not even the police station is safe!

There is lots to do here, from the innocent fun of just using the pea-shooter to annoy people and pets, to blowing up a whole row of computers with the battery stolen from the police station. Oh yes, Jack's no saint!! He will do anything to spoil everyone's daily routine.

JtN is one of the cutest and funniest games I've ever played. It is well written, well presented and deserves to be called a classic every single day of the week.

A classic comic style action adventure game from 1986.
The graphics for the game are perfect. Clear, comical, smooth and well animated. The audio is also clear and comical. This arcade adventure also holds some platform game style challenges, cleverly and seamlessly working over the perspective 3d style comic backgrounds. The game graphics are mostly monochrome. Variation of colours for each screen, and the occasional splash of colour, strategically placed to avoid colour clash, prevent it from looking dull.
Some of the puzzles and consequences in the game are hilarious. Everything about this game has real charm. The exploring, puzzles, and arcade elements all work together to make a game that can keep you smiling.

I know most people prefer this game over it's sequel but I played Coconut Capers first and this game was a huge disappointment. After the colourful graphics of the 2nd game, the drab monochrome graphics were a real let down. I didn't really the gameplay either. I usually enjoy a good arcade adventure but this one just didn't do it for me. Not terrible by any means just a bit disappointing.

A really good, and quite well thought out arcade adventure starring the mischievous "Jack".

Jack was a bit of a mascot for Gremlin for a while in the mid-late 80's after Monty Mole and enjoyed quite a bit of success, for a couple of years.

This game is played in a 2.5D kind of perspective (Although at certain points of the game secret passages can be discovered which are of a platform nature), and basically stars the borderline evil toddler Jack, on his mission to basically cause as much chaos as possible round his home town. This was really an early sandbox game to a certain extent, if you failed to use an object correctly you'd often end up dropping it, if it fell a certain distance it would often break, and you'd lose it forever. Not to worry though that Naughty-o-meter is all that matters, and you'd always have your trusty pea shooter to spit at people with.

There are some typical Beano Comic style humour elements to this game, beep a horn to scare a cat, glue all the false teeth in a factory closed with super glue. The naughtier you are the more people come raging after you as well, contact with any members of your family will increase your "Nappy-Rash", no doubt implying that your shenanigans have earned you a damn good spanking, and rightly so....Little sod!


Great game, but can get a bit bland, and although many people would not strictly agree with me it was far surpassed by it's sequel a year later.

A funny game by Gremlin Graphics featuring one of the most iconic characters of Spectrum videogames.

The program reminds us of previous games like Everyone's a Wally or Skool Daze. The aim is make pranks and increase the 'naughtyometer' shown on screen. Pick up and use certain objects (glue, bomb, horn, ...) to reach your goals. Your victims will be dogs, old ladies or policemen, among others.

Graphically is very good, with funny cartoonish characters but monochrome screens to avoid the colour clash, though. Anyway, the rooms and streets are well designed. A cool starting tune and good sounds add a nice gaming experience.

I was randomly presented with Jack the Nipper II but I can't really look a that before looking at the first Jack the Nipper game, so here we are. It's ambitious and I suppose it can be good fun once you get the hang of the game but it just felt flat for me personally.

A true pity because this title has very much room for improvement. Like the previous reviewer said, it felt flat.

All in all, a great idea, moderately well crystallized in a popular game just in its epoch.

Above average, but with an insufficient level to become as great as it probably deserves.

out of 10 points I'd give 6.5 or so.