Puggsy

Overview

If you're tired of swinging swords, rescuing princesses, fighting dragons and casting spells, you'll want to take note of Puggsy by Psygnosis. This comic action cart is always fun, often hilarious and offers solid challenges for action and puzzle/maze gamers alike. Puggsy features crisp, colorful graphics, wonderful music and great sound effects. It even has a special Junior level for younger gamers.

The star of the game is Puggsy, an alien who has had his spaceship stolen by raccoons. The masked bandits have taken his ship to Raclantis as a trophy for their ruler. Puggsy's fun-filled quest takes place over 51 levels, through 17 locations. Defeat the five World Guardians and you get to battle the final Guardian for your ride home.

Each level of Puggsy is a puzzle. Most levels contain what are called "events." These take the form of switches, locks, ropes, cannons, etc. and are activated by using one of the objects Puggsy can pick up and use. Event/object combinations can be as simple as a key in a lock or as complex as setting multiple switches.

Some situations can only be solved by getting your enemies to help! In the Pyramids, for example, Puggsy must get the enemy character to follow him and solve the puzzle. Each of the locations, such as the Beach, Splinter Town and Star Fall Lake, contain multiple levels that get progressively more challenging.

Sure, Puggsy sounds simple. In this action-puzzle CD from Psygnosis, our potatolike alien hero must collect and use a variety of objects to trounce enemies, unlock secrets, and generally find his way home. But the game's keys, barrels, hooks, and guns are pretty complicated. When using an object, you must take into account its weight, buoyancy, and even bounciness. Barrels weigh Puggsy down when he jumps, for example, but they can anchor him in high winds. If the game sounds tough to figure out, don't despair. Most problems have more than one solution, ranging from fairly simple to complex.

Hot Hints

Hints:

1. Bop the Guardian dragon on either jaw.
2. Pick up a pair of sneakers to speed up your nin. You can also take a hit in them without losing a life.
3. A heart gives you an extra life if you exit a level with it.