Barker Bill's Trick Shooting

"A day at the Carnival with Barker Bill, Tricksie, and the Duck Hunt Dog."

Barker Bill's Trick Shooting was released in August of 1990. This game used the Nintendo Zapper light gun to play one of four different arcade-style games: Balloon Saloon, Flying Saucers, Window Pains, and Fun Follies.

In Balloon Saloon, our trusted "friend", the Duck Hunt Dog, hides behind a large display. He sends balloons out, which you shoot. If you miss ten balloons, the game ends. Sometimes, a diamond will be hidden inside a balloon; if you shoot it, you will gain an extra chance. Occasionally, the Dog will pop up and look around. Be careful not to shoot him; if you do, it will count as a miss.

In Flying Saucers, Barker Bill and his assistant, Tricksie, toss dishes high into the air. Dishes shot closer to the ground give you more points, but if it breaks on the ground, it counts as a miss! The occasional parrot will appear and try to take off with a dish; shoot the dish before it flies away, or it'll count as a miss. Take care not to shoot the parrot though; if you do, it's a miss! Diamonds also appear in this game; shoot it to gain another chance.

In Window Pains, all sorts of objects fall from the top of the screen. Some parts of the screen are obscured by glass panes; things behind them cannot be shot. Shoot items out in the open to score points. If you miss, you lose a chance. Once again, diamonds may appear; shoot them to gain an extra chance.

Fun Follies combines all three modes listed above, and a couple of exclusive modes, which will not be described here. Same rules apply; shoot stuff to score points, lose a chance if you fail to hit something, gain an extra chance by shooting diamonds, you lose when you run out of chances.

When you run out of chances, you will be taken to the results screen, where you score and your accuracy in percent are shown. A top scores list shows the five highest scores for that mode since the power was turned on; turn off the game, and the scores are erased.

All in all, this some pretty basic stuff. Now for the game scores.

Graphics- 8/10
Most of the colors here should remind you of a circus or carnival; mostly pastels and whites, the the occasional bright red or blue to grab your attention.

Gameplay- 6/10
All you do is shoot stuff; that's it.

Replayability- 10/10
You can literally sit in front of the TV for hours on end; you'll probably stop only to eat, let your arms rest (Holding that Zapper up for a long time will really make your arms ache!), or after your parents or roommate start yelling at you about the incessant "P-KANG"-ing from your Zapper. You're not going to want to put it down!

Put simply, this is a pretty good time waster and an excellent way to brush up on your skills so you can win that giant teddy bear from the shooting gallery that comes with the traveling carnival every year. And when your girlfriend or parents ask you, "How did you get that?" you can reply, "I got a little help from Barker Bill and Tricksie."

Average Score 8/10

Written by Carrick Puckett, aka hylianarmy on May 2, 2009.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/04/09

Game Release: Barker Bill's Trick Shooting (US, August 1990)