Budget Day - Kwik Snax (ZX Spectrum)

I figured that any round up of budget games, especially this close to Easter, would not be complete without a Dizzy game.  Trouble was, I didn't much fancy any of that leaping around and putting objects in the right place carry on.  Luckily, Dizzy branched out a bit in later years... and that's how I came to play Kwik Snax.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Kwik Snax, but I don't think I was prepared for a Pengo clone.  After all, Pengo was an old and outdated game even when Kwik Snax was released, never mind now!  Still, if you think you have a good idea, you might as well go with it.  Pity I never really liked Pengo that much...

I like bananas, but I don't like rain.  Go away, rain!

Kwik Snax sees Dizzy in Mario mode, as his friends have all been kidnapped by the evil Zaks, and only Dizzy can rescue them.  As Zaks is insane, Dizzy must rescue them by collecting all the fruit from icy, hazard-filled mazes.  Bad guys were much more imaginative back then.

It's lucky that the walls of the mazes are made from blocks of ice, because Dizzy can push these around to facilitate easier fruit collection.  And not only that, the blocks will crush anything in their path once shoved, making them very handy weapons!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Pity, I might need him with these vicious critters about!

Should Dizzy collect all the fruit in a level, he will move on to a bonus level.  These play differently in that only a set amount of time is available to collect the fruit, and once you start moving you can only change direction if you're stopped by a wall.  So if you make the wrong move, you're knackered.

It's a very playable and addictive game.  The bonus levels add much-needed variety, and there's a nice little Bomb Jack scoring mechanic, whereby you can collect all the flashing fruits in order for more points.  I had a lot of fun with Kwik Snax, much more than I was expecting, and I think I might go back to it once the day is done.