"Not about spot the dog, because he just isn’t cool."

Cool spot was released by Virgin in 1994, using heavy licensing from the soft drink 7-up. If you hadn't guessed, cool spot is the spot from 7-up, made cool by wearing converse shoes and sunglasses, with red spotted gloves. However, the 7-up branding was absent in the European version, leaving spot surfing a generic green bottle at the start, but you could see a glimpse of 7-up in the bonus level.

If the fact that Cool Spot from 7-up sounds strange to you, look at a 7-up bottle/ can and you'll notice the red spot. The story line is as follows: Cool Spot's fellow spot friends have been locked away and it's up to the Cool Spot to rescue them. To rescue Cool Spot's friends, you have to go around levels collecting enough cool points whilst jumping and avoiding obstacles, while you beat baddies.

With the 7-up branding, Cool Spot could seem like a really cheesy game that's utterly rubbish. But it's not. It's really a solid, challenging platform game using all the ingredients in the right way. There's nothing amazingly original about this game, but it's great for what it is.

In Cool Spot you have to go round levels full of enemies, avoiding obstacles and traps, all the typical elements of a platform game are there. However, not everyone can use platforming ingredients in the same way, and the way they've been used here have been done pretty well. The game presents a challenge here, there are plenty of platforms for platform jumping and climbing up pieces of rope. Not only that, sometimes you have to jump through a series of balloons that move about in a set manner, or jumping high in the air way above ground level on a series of platforms that topple over if you stand on them for too long.

There's a whole host of levels to go through complete with different enemies, several levels you revisit a different variation of them again. Level's range from a beach level littered with craps that bite and bugs that sting, a level inside a boiler room with mice that pelt cheese and spiders, or a toy locomotive level and a toy shop level. The range of levels is adequate, with enough enemies that attack Cool Spot in every possible way and to drive you mad, as you're constantly attacked by flies that won't go away.

The game itself can be as challenging as you want it, with three difficulty settings, choose a harder one and you'll find more enemies splattering there ammo at you in levels than you can muster. Even at easy level, the game presents a reasonable challenge, although you'll feel better if you fight through normal mode. The platforming jumping and the enemies have been put in the right places, running faster will get you a further jump and being too clumsy has it's consequences, meaning you may have to start all over. Thankfully, the game doesn't get frustrating with the try again and again until you realise it's impossible factor, but yet this game is no walkover.

The graphics on this game is standard 2D platforming and they look quite nice. The backdrops look adequate but repetitive although it's hardly noticeable in game. The graphics are bright and colourful, and the sprites and animations have been done rather well. The music as well has been finely composed, with upbeat tunes and funky beats that keep the game going.

The game has no insane lastability but the game's long enough and do keep you wanting to come back for more.

Graphics Bright and colourful, great animations but slightly repetitive backgrounds 8/10
Sound Lively upbeat music, great sound effects 8/10
Gameplay All the typical platform ingredients used well make for a fun yet taxing game 8/10
Length You'll keep coming back at times, but you'd have not much reason to come back when complete 7/10

Overall, Cool Spot is a surprising use of a 7-up license, not creating a pile of trash but a decent platform game. Hardly any story line but great game nonetheless. Score 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/07/06