SHOVEL ADVENTURE

Ever since the annual and always anticipated #CPCRetroDev competition has been running, we can be assured that the winner is usually a rather special game, frequently becoming one of the best releases for the Amstrad in its given year. Previous winning titles such as The Abduction of Oscar Z and Operation Alexander are somewhat showcase pieces for the CPC, implementing a solid gameplay structure, good ideas, an enjoyable challenge with the bells and whistles of great graphics and audio. I’m happy to report Shovel Adventure is no exception to this trend. It’s the first Amstrad game brought to us by the Pat Morita Team, who have had fine success with a series of Spectrum titles in recent years, their Z80 programming skills appear to have transferred to the CPC spectacularly well, and for me, the most accomplished game of the contest.

Borrowing themes from the likes of Fast Food and Oh Mummy (the cover art pays homage to the Gem Software classic) and using a typical top-down puzzle maze style, you play as archaeologist Johnny Palas on a mission to enter a lost Egyptian chamber of Lhola Flowers. To reach the entrance to the tomb you have to pass through 40 rooms of the great pyramid, where you have to unearth all the gems, and find the key to the next level until you reach your goal. Standing in your way are hordes of mazes, mummies, cobras and biting beetles. All you have to defend yourself with is your trusty shovel; but instead of hitting your enemies, you can bury them for a short time. We have here an original idea where your shovel is your Swiss army knife, digging up the treasures and making holes for the monsters to drop into, creating escape