Bobo Download (1988 Amiga Game)

Infogrames has made a slow start in the Amiga market having only released the Passengers On The Wind series, but now with its latest game, Stir Crazy, which features the hilarious Bobo, has finally emerged as a real force in Amiga entertainment.

The game is set in the peculiar prison Inzeeslammer which makes the inmates behave childishly. Bobo, the star of the game, is the oddest inmate, having been locked up for 17 years. He tries everything to escape and sometimes manages to do so, but his new found freedom never lasts very long. A comprehensive menu allows for up to 10 players with each protagonist selecting the events they wish to play.

Stir Crazy is very similar in concept to the classic sports series from Epyx, based on the antics of a prison inmate rather than sporting achievements. The program is divided into six separate sub games which can be played individually or collectively. The first event takes place in the canteen and like all prison inmates, Bobo has to take his turn at table duty. Ensuring that all the hungry prisoners are fed. They arrive one after another in a state of starvation, which means that most require a second helping. If you do not serve the convicts immediately be prepared for a quite hysterical scene as they plaster poor Bobo with the soup of the day.

The second event finds Bobo peeling a pile of potatoes which gradually gets bigger as he goes along. If you are silly enough to try and throw a half-peeled potato into the pile you are instantly accused of shoddy workmanship and the halfpeeled potato is thrown back. This touch of humour is well illustrated and I guarantee that after a while you will be deliberately sending half peeled potatoes into the pile just to see Bobo punished.

Having prepared the potatoes, the next event takes Bobo to his third chore - washing the floor, the job he likes least. The other prisoners walk on the floor and leave nasty footprints for Bobo to clean. Occasionally a dog will run past leaving a muddy trail of footsteps which must be cleaned before the prison warden inspects the floor.

The fourth event is my favourite as Bobo tries to help his fellow inmates escape. The prisoners take advantage of the warden's tea break and try and get free by jumping from their cell windows. Bobo must move a trampoline and catch them at the right angle so they can fly to freedom. If the angle is not right then the prisoners smash into Inzeeslammer's walls and see stars.

Event five features Bobo, having escaped, running across three electrical wires where he must avoid the sparks and collect green cylinders. The action is fast - perhaps a little too fast - and most of the time Bobo is electrocuted in spectacular fashion. Being electrocuted has never been such fun. The destructive nature of the game is put aside as the humorous touches make you see the light-hearted side of 240 volts.

Stunned and eventually recaptured from his live wire trip, Bobo's final task is to make sure that the other five prisoners with whom he shares the dormitory, stop snoring and allow him to get some sleep. The only way to silence them is to give them a gentle nudge so as not to wake them.

Stir Crazy is a thoroughly enjoyable game packed with humorous touches. The graphics are top notch cartoon quality and the sound and music some of the best to be heard on an Amiga. If that's not a good enough recommendation then you shouldn't forget that the game also features the zany Bobo, who could just become one of the mega stars of computer entertainment.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

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