Spikey in Transylvania

Lucky Eddie

Spikey is a Viking who crash-lands near a village called Transylvania after suffering horrendous weather conditions in the North Sea. He has no weapon or shield, but has kept hold of his helmet. Weirdly, his shipmates have been rounded up and locked away in a dungeon - so it's our job to free them. Thankfully, the cell keys have been scattered about in different places. All we have to do is find them and free our comrades.

Is it just me, or does Spikey look an awful lot like Hägar the Horrible? Anyhow, Spikey in Transylvania comes from the same Code Masters stable as the Dizzy series, so it's hardly surprising that it looks familiar for both gameplay and visuals. Released in 1991 and programmed by Dave Clarke, who, sadly, didn't seem to do a lot more for the ST. That's a shame, because I've got a sneaky feeling this is a good game.

Wanna see screenshots of the earlier puzzles? Of course, you do! So gander at this lot...

Farmer Piles!!! It's like something from a Carry On movie. Brilliant!

The pixel art in this room is amazing. Love the cauldron, the wizard, and the king's painting!

So what's the plan?

Our adventure starts in a small village with a few houses, including a pub and a hungry farmer. After escaping from one of the houses, our task is to gain entrance to the castle where our friends are held captive. Surely an impossibility, as it's guarded by a mean soldier (bribe him?). If you've played any of the Dizzy games before, then you will know what to expect as you help Spikey scour rooms for discarded prison keys.

Things begin simply and, if I'm honest, remain simple throughout. For example, the first puzzle is escaping from a house - the front door has no handle, and there is a doorknob on the floor. This is the difficulty level for most puzzles, and I enjoyed it because I dislike baffling or vague clues and pointless solutions.

So, that's the difficulty, which isn't bewildering but entertaining. It's time for more screenshots...

I wanted to take this screenshot as the dog approached to take a bone. But he was quicker than me!

Bored, eh? I think he needs a Walkman to listen to. Showing my age now, right?

Explore, examine, scrutinise!

Once inside the castle, it's a myriad of mazes, but nothing too overwhelming. Getting around is easy and, once again, there are puzzles to solve, but nothing mind-blowing. For example, a drink for a thirsty guard, ghosts will flee from the Cross, and you should wear Wellington boots in the mud. The only puzzle I failed to instantly solve was with the cannon, which was dead simple and something I didn't even consider!

Walking around the village and castle areas is never too troubling, but there are still some dangers to look out for. Spikey only has four lives, and each has a finite amount of energy that depletes when coming into contact with soldiers, rats, ghosts, dripping acid, etc. Sadly, health replenishment is scarce, with only the odd pieces of chicken or bread left lying about. Stay clear of rotten foods that will make Spikey feel a lot worse.

Unlike the adventures Dizzy endured, Spikey can walk left/right but cannot jump. Instead, he moves diagonally in/out of the screen. Sadly, you can occasionally get stuck on objects or walls. The inventory is a cinch, just hold fire and move up/down to pick up/drop and left/right to select what object. Dropping most objects near another character will solve that puzzle, as they will automatically collect them and reward you.

It's never a bad idea to venture into a pub. Check out these beer swiggers...

The local Wetherspoon! My kinda place. But then everyone stops and stares at me! Creepy.

Hmm, weren't there some gloves carelessly left lying about?

Aesthetics

The graphics are by Jonathan Smyth, who also did Cj in the USA and Cj's Elephants Antics. They are gorgeous with a colourful cartoon design. The backdrops are good, but it's the characters that feature stunning details - I love the beady-eyed rats who watch Spikey. Sadly, there is little animation, which, I'm not bothered about, but it would have been nice to see a roaring fireplace rather than a static flame.

The audio fares differently, with a choice of chip music or sound effects (selected on the title screen). The music is by Ashley Hogg (who worked on Cj in the USA and Cj's Elephants Antics) and is superb. Sadly, there is only that one tune which loops around constantly during play. If you opt for sound effects, then you shall hear Spikey's footsteps along with a ding when interacting with objects. And that's that.

A shipmate is trapped, so hurry up and find all the other keys! Then everyone can party...

This is one of many cells holding our mates. Simple task - find the keys!

This is the end screen - just to prove I did it!! Sorry for the spoiler :p

The CryptO'pinion?

I have thoroughly enjoyed Spikey in Transylvania! However, it's not a big adventure, and there isn't enough food available to replenish his energy. Also, the puzzles are easy (even for me), and I completed the entire thing in a couple of hours! I can't imagine fans of Dizzy, Spellbound, or Stormlord will be impressed by that.

Ignoring my quibbles, this is extremely enjoyable and incredibly addictive. So I loved the progress I made right from the start. The puzzles are logical without any irritatingly pointless solutions, which meant I continued on. So how can I say anything terrible about a game that gave me so much pleasure? I cannot.

• Before you view my map (click it), grab this puzzler on a floppy or a hard drive.

Don't be a muppet, click the image thumbnail to download the hi-res version.

Hey, click this link for loads more ST game maps.