"The old classic, but how does it fair?"

Certainly, anybody who enjoys classic arcade games remembers Q*Bert. The weird nosed orange this with the long proboscus has found his way into many of our hearts. Although foul mouthed (getting hit causes him to exclaim #@$% in a speech bubble or something to that effect), he had only an average or below average game in my opinion.

The game play was pretty original, especially since it was released in the early 80s. Q*Bert had to jump on different blocks on a pyramid and turn them into a different color. Once all blocks had been turned into a different color, the level would be over. Later levels required two or more jumps to turn one block to the right color. Making things more difficult were Slick & Sam (Who were green. It's important to note that all green things are safe to touch) who changed the blocks back to the wrong color! Quickly catch these guys! There was also Coily, the springy snake who would chase you. Get touched by him and you die. But if you jump on one of the rotating discs hanging over the side, coily would jump to his doom, while you'd return to the top safely.

The graphics aren't really bad, they're just not spectacular. Q*Bert looks like he's supposed to, and all the bad guys look true to their arcade counterparts. I can't really recall much of the sound, except the noise Q*Bert makes when he "swears", which is a pretty weird sound in itself.

Ok, so I don't think that the game's the best, but that's probably because I really, REALLY suck at it. I usually have trouble making it past the second area. However, I'd imagine that if you're any good at it, Q*Bert would be a pretty fun game. Although the control is pretty awkward, you'll get used to it. Worth a borrow if your friend has it.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 08/07/01