Herdy Gerdy

"One boy and his herding stick"

* Gameplay

Herdy Gerdy is a novel idea. I am pretty sure nobody has produced anything based on herding creatures into pens before?

The game starts off easy but by the time you have played through the first few levels, the difficulty level escalates and you get involved in a lot of strategic thinking and a lot of cursing and swearing as your attempts to save all the little critters from their own stupidity (like Lemmings) or from various predators fail yet again.

Your efforts are not assisted by the camera (which is the biggest drawback in the control system.) It has a mind of its own and swings wildly between the different viewpoints available. It has an annoying habit of getting stuck behind various bits of scenery and usually at some vital moment when you really need to see what you are doing.

This leads to a lot of reloading saved games which means you become all too familiar with the very slow loading times. It takes 3 loading screens of what seemed like a minute each to get the game up and running.

Once thing I like about the game is that it seems impossible to cheat. Either you have the skill to get the required number of creatures penned or you fail the level. There are no short cuts. This can be extremely challenging/frustrating and I am pretty sure a few controllers will be bouncing off screens.

* Story

You are Gerdy (an unhandsome farm lad whose hair style seems closely based on a turnip.) In order to save your father from bewitchment you have to cross the island to take part in the Herding Championship (and no you are not accompanied by your faithful dog lassie.) This involves herding the required % of creatures in each level and beating an assortment of other herders in timed challenges.

Along the way you acquire extra herding equipment to make you job easier so that you can open up new levels.

There is a nice variety of different creatures from the 'doops' which closely resemble hens in their behaviour and general level of intelligence, through purple 'phreeps' ('koala' bears with propeller tails) and water loving 'honks' and their 'honklings.'

Each type of creature requires a different herding technique (as well as equipment) and all are vulnerable in some way.

They are all vulnerable (and so are you) to attacks from savage Gromps (whose fluffy pinkness belies their savage temper.) These have to be avoided or trapped in order to save you and your creatures from an early demise.

* Audio/Video

I was only able to play the game at 50hz (my scart cable can't handle 60hz) so I had to put up with borders (these may not be a problem in the US release.) The graphics are fine (and the game does not depend on graphics effects.)

Sound is relatively unimportant as well and is adequate (the limited range of bucolic flute themes grates after a while.)

* Replayability

I think it maybe worth playing the game just to get through the levels and then to go back to get 100% in each level. There are also 100 bells to collect in each level which unlock 'special extras' from the main menu.

* To buy or to rent?

The game is priced at top range in the UK (£45) I am not sure if this will be the same as in the US release? As such it might be worth a rental to see if you like the gameplay. However I don't think it can be completed in a short rental period (I am only part way through after 3 days of intensive play.)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/25/02, Updated 02/25/02