Loopz Download (1990 Amiga Game)

In Loopz you make loops out of the bits of piping slung at you. As each piece appears you have a fast-diminishing time limit to move it around, rotate it and drop it. If you don't drop the piece before time runs out you lose a life.

The more complex the loop, the higher the bonus points when it's completed and disappears. Initially pieces are small, but they soon get bigger and more awkward to position. Thankfully you occasionally get gopher pieces which destroy an incomplete loop, creating vital space.

At the beginning of the game you can choose the skill level (basically your time limit), and two slightly different ways of playing. In Game A if you clear the screen, you get a massive bonus. But in Game B you go onto Bonus Game One. This plays much the same as the normal game, only completed loops don't disappear. As soon as the timer runs out, or you can't place a piece, it's back to the main game.

To play Bonus Game 2 you must construct a complicate3d enough loop to match or exceed the Bonus Points Target. You then go onto a special screen with a loop already constructed. Some of its pieces are then removed and you must exactly reconstruct it for a bonus score.

If you want you can play only Bonus Game 2 by selecting Game C. This can only be played solo, but there are passwords every five levels. All the other levels can either be played by one or two players, taking turns to place pieces or simultaneously. In the latter each player has a cursor and an individual score, but points are only earned by completing loops. Also, players can play at unequal skill levels.

Now this one really eats the hours - you load it up for a quick game, and before you know it it's Tuesday! Again played on a square grid, you must use the pieces (of various shapes and sizes) to form loops, hence the title. The bits can be rotated to suit your position, and there's a time limit for each. Fail to place the piece in time and you lose a life. Needless to say, the bigger the loop the higher the score, but watch out - try something too ambitious and you're left with a lot of useless pieces getting in the way.

So why is it so addictive? I don't know but it is! The only real fault with Loopz is its lack of focus. Differing levels (which you choose before starting) only affect the time limit, and you carry on playing until you're lives are gone, it's as simple as that. A few Atomino-style levels with ready-placed pieces to clear and set shapes to fill wouldn't go amiss, but it's still a killer.

How to run this game on modern Windows PC?

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