Monday 3 September 2012

Super Trolley, ZX Spectrum 48k

Clean up in aisle 4..........

Game - Super Trolley, Mastertronic/Jimmy Saville
Release - 1988
System - ZX Spectrum 48k

One of the great things about the spectrum era was the sheer diversity of games released, anyone could release a game on the Spectrum; from big publishers such as US Gold, right down to kids sat in their bedroom. It also appears the Jimmy Saville got in on the act, helping a young whippersnapper release this via Jim'll Fix It.

Keeping to the theme of diversity this was a game based on a very original idea - working in a supermarket. Now I had a Saturday job in a Supermarket and I hated it, so I am not sure why this game would appeal to anyone! However, it is not as bad as it could have been.



The loading screen gives the impression of a fast
zany game - its not!


The aim of the game is quite simple, you start out as a Dogsbody and have to complete a number of tasks over the week in order to work your way up to Manager. As you progress through the week the tasks get harder as the days get busier; Saturday being the busiest (This game was made before Sunday trading, so the shop is shut on the 7th day!). Each task starts with a description of what you need to do, such as stock up Chicken, catch a stray dog, re-stack some knocked over cans, take change to till 2, collect trolleys etc. and how long you have to do it. You have to complete a set number of tasks within the day to progress, fail to do so and you get the sack. 


The price gun mini-game 
 
The game is played using an isometric projection, much like John Ritman classics Head over Heels or Batman. Control is via the joystick using up, down, left and right to move, the fire button picks items up; point your shelf stacker in the direction of a shelf and it tells you what is on it. The black and white monochrome graphics do a good job of putting across the dire, depressing place that supermarkets usually are! They are also functional and it is relatively easy to navigate around. While you are making your way around the supermarket there are various old ladies that wander about getting in the way, the same sprite is used for every person in the supermarket - it would have been nice if there was some variation.


 All the fun of........filling up freezers with boxes 
of Fish Fingers

The main issue with the game is that it is rather slow and simply based on boring fetch and carry tasks. It doesn't take too long to realise that no matter what the task is the action is basically the same - get something, take it somewhere, drop it off - and that is all there is to it. To be fair Jim (and the game developers) have tried to add some variation with a price gun mini game, but this is even more boring than the main game, as it simply involves moving a cursor over a tin and pressing the fire button several times. In some ways the game needs a bit of an injection of humour, the sad hunchback expression of the main sprite and lack of colours need livening up. The number of tasks in the day are also quite high and this means it takes a while to finish a day - I used find my Saturday shift dragged by, but this game is supposed to be fun! I suspect the reason for the long days was to drag some longevity out of the game, but with no save option, you would need a marathon session to finish this.

Summary

They are to be commended for the original idea, but it ultimately falls flat. On first play some of the tasks seem varied, but this turns out not to the be the case as they are all practically the same. There are some nice touches - like when you need to find a lost dog you can follow his little puddles of pee, but these are few and far between. The sedate pace and repetitive shelf stacking tasks are probably a little too close to the boring realities of work!

5/10




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