Producer: Silversoft
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £5.95
Language: Machine code

Freez' bees adds another version of 'Pengo' or 'Pengy' to the Spectrum file. The object of the game is to walk your penguin round the ice fields, burning away the ice blocks to create space, or send them shooting off to try and crush the nasty snow bees who are out to get you.

Features in this version include the penguin's ability to electrify the fence, stunning the bee that touches if for a moment, and the illumination of ice blocks containing bee eggs at the start of each phase. You receive extra points for clearing these blocks before the eggs hatch out.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Z/X left/right, K/M up/down, L- slide or crumble an ice block
Joystick: Kempston
Keyboard play: single key action, but fast
Colour simple but bright
Graphics: good
Sound: very good
Skill levels: 10 speeds
Lives: 3

The graphics in Freez' Bees are very nice, quite large and very colourful on a white ground. They move smoothly as well, and at a fair pace even on the slower of the ten speeds. I quite enjoyed playing it and the game itself is very addictive when you get fluent at controlling the penguin.

Once a snow bee is on your tail you may as well give up as it's hard to get away, and extremely difficult to get round a block, turn and fire at your tormentor. Apart from this aspect, which I think spoils the game's playability, this type of game is really very simple and not worth buying. This version has good sound though.

This version is frantically difficult to play - perhaps too hard to keep your attention - so it's as well that there's a range of speeds to select. The colours and graphics are good, so's the sound and tunes. If you're looking for a 'Pengo' game, then this is a good and hard version.

Producer: S,ilversoft, 48K
£5.95 (2)

This is another version at 'Pengy', the object of which is to walk your penguin round the ice flows avoiding the nasty Snow Bees. You can burn away the square ice blocks or send them flying in the hope of crushing a snow bee to death. This version features illumination of ice blocks from which snow bees will hatch for a flash (which givers you the chance to destroys snow bee before it gets dangerous), and the fence which may be electrified when the penguin touches it, stunning any snow bee in contact with it. The graphics are nice, quite large, responsive and fast, but not over- colourful, and the sound is good too. The main drawback is that the game is very hard to play well and the snow bees are difficult to shake off, a fact which lowers the game's playability quickly. Good control keys, joystick: Kempston. 10 skill levels (speeds), reasonable value. Overall CRASH rating 61% M/C.

BLOCK BUSTERS - PENGO TYPE GAMES

Reviewers Chris Passey and Matthew Uffindell don their cold gear to play in the Arctic wastes...

The Pengo scenario says that a penguin in the snowy wastes must stay alive by melting ice blocks, or shunting them along to squash the snow bugs which threaten him. The frame resembles one of those small hand-held word puzzles with letters printed on small squares which may be shuffled to rearrange them. The game requires a certain amount of strategic thinking in setting up kills. You can usually 'electrify' the walls (the edge of the screen) and daze any nasties that touch it, running them down if you are able. First in the market was Blaby's Dodo and the Snow Bees by a long margin.

FREEZ' BEES
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price In £5.95

I like Freez Bees and it's a good version. The movement of the penguin is especially good, and generally all the graphics were of reasonable quality. The odd, blob-like snow bees are particularly comical when they lie dazed against the electrtcifed wall. Their eyes spin round and round. The sound is good, but again Blaby's is better. The control keys have a decent layout and Kempston owners are catered for. With all its elements and 10 skill levels, this game will never become too easy, but it remains very playable.
CP

Freez'Bees has the most options open to the player, is you can after the speed of the game from 0 to 9, there are good instructions, and a useful hold-and-quit key. When pushed, the ice blocks move very quickly to their destination - they also instantly crush the nasties. Freez snow bees are not over-intelligent, thank goodness, but once on your trail they won't let up. The penguin himself waddles about most convincingly. The responsive keys are well placed and both sound and colour have been well used.
MU

PENGO-TYPE GAMES COMPARISON TABLE

The two reviewers' ratings have been averaged, but despite independent assessment of the games, they were very much in agreement.

NB. Despite details printed on cassettes and in advertisements, due to an error Software Projects Push Off is not 16K but 48K. The same is true of Thrusta.

SOUTH GEORGIA CAPTURED AGAIN!

MAKER: Silversoft
MACHINE: Spectrum 48
FORMAT: cassette
PRICE: £5.95

If you like arctic conditions in the comfort of your own home, then Freez'bees could be for you.

Percy the Penguin, stalwart of the ice cap, has his territory invaded by Snowbees and after choosing the ideal ice blocks they lay their eggs deep within them. The eggs hatch out and the young Snowbees chase poor Percy in a determined effort to kill him.

Percy is not too pleased by these Snowbees first invading his territory and then trying to kill him, so he takes evasive action by either destroying the ice blocks before the eggs hatch out, or luring them to the perimeter fence, which he has electrified, and frying them. If he fails to kill them within a certain period of time and he has not destroyed the eggs within all of the ice blocks, more hatch out and his job becomes even harder.

In one of Silversoft's best games for quite a while, good graphics and smooth playing action make this an enjoyable and original program which, whether you use keyboard or joystick, should keep you amused for some time.

MACHINE: Spectrum 48K
JOYSTICK: Kempston, Optional
CATEGORY: Arcade
SUPPLIER: Silversoft
PRICE: £5.95

Nice version of the game Penguin - kill the snow bees by sliding ice blocks on to them or stun them at the electric fence.

Fast and furious action.