Q*bert is of course, the classic isometric puzzle game where you play as a hard cursing fuzzy orange character with an anteater-like nose. Q*bert bounces up and down the isometric pyramid changing the tile colors until all have been switched and you move on to the next stage. There are a variety of enemies attempting to thwart Q*bert’s efforts and there are a couple of multi-colored discs off to the side of the pyramid that you can jump on in order to escape the enemies and send them tumbling off the edge to their deaths. One of the more annoying enemies even turns the tiles back to its original color if you don’t stop it. After 4 stages, Q*bert will move on to the next level and as expected, the difficulty increases. Now Q*bert will need to change each tile’s color twice before it can move on to the next stage. The game continues on in this fashion ramping up the difficulty and increasing the amount of times the tiles have to be turned different colors before the stage ends.
Q*bert was yet another arcade favorite of mine due to its simple concept and easy controls. All you need is a joystick to move Q*bert around the pyramid and the puzzle aspect enforces strategy to stay a few moves ahead of the enemies as they close in. The sound effects are minimal just like in the arcade but the pyramids, enemies and spinning discs look great. Q*bert doesn’t look too bad either but hisvacant black holes for eyes are a bit creepy. Otherwise, Q*bert for the Colecovision is pretty much like Q*bert for the arcades. Simple, addictive fun and an old school classic brought home.
Rating: A-
Currently in my collection: game only
Cartridge Corner 