The NewZealand Story

STORY / GAMEPLAY
You control a sneaker-wearing kiwi called Tiki and the goal of the game is to rescue your kiwi friends who have been kiwi-napped by Wally, a large blue walrus/leopard seal. You navigate in scrolling maze-like levels at the end of which they release a kiwi trapped in a cage. Your starting weapon is arrows but pickups can change these into bombs, lasers or bouncing fireballs. You may also find (or steal) and ride a variety of flying objects including balloons, blimps, and UFOs. These objects can be found ready to use or can be stolen from an enemy. Collect letters during your quest to complete the word "EXTEND" and it will instantly take you to the next stage (as in Bubble Bobble). The levels (and sub-levels) get progressively harder and the puzzles start creeping in (usually there is no obvious way of getting near the cages and rescue kiwis so you need to find a way with careful timing and appropriate shooting several foes and always having in mind the scattered spikes. There are even sub-aquatic sections in which Tiki must swim through tunnels (with limited oxygen) in order reach the cage. Time is actually a problem. Wander around on a stage for too long and a big "hurry up" notice will warn you. A few seconds later, a Devil appears and hits you with his trident and takes one of your lives (similarly situation as in Bubble Bobble as well)!

GRAPHICS / SOUND
The Amiga conversion is very close to the original (and the arcade-perfect X68000 conversion) with colorful visuals and a variety of backgrounds like mountains, caves and seas! The cartoonish sprites look gorgeous and move smoothly on screen, while some of the foes (especially each stage's big boss) are pretty huge and nicely detailed. Apart from the nice visuals, the Amiga offers all the sound effects and the bouncy music tune from the original arcade, actually bringing the coin-op into our homes!