Arcade Pool & Monty Python's Flying Circus (Amiga)

Arcade Pool - Review

(Team17, Commodore Amiga Game, 1994)

Top of the pots or just a load of old balls?

They say that a good snooker or pool player is a sign of a misspent youth. Those of a certain vintage may well remember the unique ambience of their local snooker club - the dim lighting, the respectful hush from other players, the fog of cigarette smoke so thick you couldn’t see across the room (Ed. – “You are showing your age again Grapes!”) and that constant, reassuring, clackety-clack of the balls. It was a great way to pass time with friends and, while snooker was the game of choice for the purists, there was also always a queue of people willing to pop 20 pence down on the pool table for a quick, fun blast, utilising many of the same skills.

Crowded Market?

In 1994 the Amiga could already boast a couple of extremely highly rated snooker and pool games. Virgin Games’ Jimmy White’s ‘Whirlwind’ Snooker (1991) and Archer MacLean’s Pool (1992) were the class leaders, offering an impressively realistic three-dimensional take on the games.

Team17’s Arcade Pool takes a different approach, replacing the remarkable 3D trickery with top-down 2D pick-up-and-play simplicity. It is clear that this isn’t intended to be a simulation (heck, there’s even a sizable clue in the title!) - this is very much an arcade experience, resulting in a game that is far more straightforward to play and instantly accessible.

The Team That Could Do (Almost) No Wrong.

Regular readers will know that I am a bit of a Team17 fan-boy. I have always felt that their titles tend to look and sound amazing, often displaying a crispness and quality of presentation that most other Amiga games can’t match.

Not only that, but they had a knack of making their games really fun to play and absolutely nailing that gameplay experience. Even now, some of my favourite titles include Alien Breed II, Superfrog, Project X Special Edition and Worms. So, was Arcade Pool another Team17 hit to add to an already impressive list, or a miscued white, jumped off the table and into someone’s beer? Let’s find out!

Pots of Fun?

Arcade Pool was released as a budget title (costing just £10) in 1994 and offers just about every variety of pool you can imagine, including most of the UK and USA eight and nine-ball variants. There are single matches or tournaments to play as a one or two player game, along with other versions such as 9-Ball Challenge, Trick Shot, Survivor and Speed Pool. There are selectable difficulty levels and a host of other customisable options, enabling the player to change the look of the table and even the friction level of the baize.

Control is via the mouse; using the left mouse button to set the direction, power and spin of your cue ball, and then a right-click takes the shot. It is a simple system and works extremely well. An on-screen display that shows the aim-point and subsequent cue-ball path will be welcomed by the new player, but as you become more proficient this is another option that can be turned off if desired.

The physics are generally pretty good, though when balls collide they seem to react with a very slight increase in velocity, apparently sticking two fingers up at Newton’s third law and this does feel a touch odd. Yes - it is an arcade title, but even in an arcade pool game the ball physics should be reassuringly accurate. And, unfortunately, they aren’t, quite. It is marginal though and, apart from this, the balls do go where you would expect them to, and the cue ball’s reaction to the different types of spin and side is pretty realistic.

Foul

However I do have one complaint and, in respect of the one-player game at least, it is a significant one. Unfortunately, some of the computer opponents are just too strong. In fact a significant number are outrageously skilled, and this is a problem, as they are simply too good to make the single-player game very much fun.

And I should be clear here - I don’t mean “too good” as in “potting balls consistently and finding the correct position for the next shot”. That would be frustrating, but perhaps more of a fair challenge and less annoying. What we have here instead is the computer not caring about position, but making crazy calculations, showing off, and repeatedly playing highly unlikely and bizarre trick shots; shots that a human would never see, let alone attempt. It’s as if the better CPU opponents are playing a whole different game; conducting an ongoing exercise in high-level maths and angles, the results of which only serve to constantly remind the player that they are playing a computer and leave them feeling that they have no chance. Even in Rookie mode, you might have your opponent snookered only to watch them play an extraordinary escape, making a two or three-ball plant off three cushions enabling them to go on and win.

Recognise Some Names?

Some of the disproportionately stronger computer opponents are named after the Team 17 gang, and if you are unlucky enough to draw Martyn Brown (their Creative Director of the time) in a tournament, you may as well surrender before breaking off!

At the time, Team17 were locked in a somewhat acrimonious dispute with Amiga Power magazine, covered in some detail by Stuart Campbell (ex AP writer, reviewer and stand-in editor) on the magnificent AP2 website. So it is an interesting aside but perhaps no coincidence that the weakest computer opponents in the game are all named after Amiga Power staff!

Two-Up

In fairness, the two-player game provides a much more even and engaging test, and is a lot of fun. The Speed Pool option is a great challenge too. In fact, any game mode where the player doesn’t have to face-off against a computer controlled opponent is enjoyable and rewarding.

So the game looks great, sounds good, offers a plethora of play modes and options and, in two-player or the individual modes, provides a lot of instant enjoyment. The physics, while not absolutely perfect, are certainly close enough to make for some decent entertainment. It’s a shame then that the CPU opponents’ difficulty level spikes so disproportionately, effectively spoiling the one-player game.

I may be a Team 17 fan-boy but unfortunately this one has to go down as a missed opportunity.

Graphics – 67%

While the game is graphically simplistic, it still looks like a typical Team 17 title with distinctive colourful and beautifully crisp visuals.

Sound – 88%

The honky-tonk piano introduction music is fabulous, offering more than a nod towards Black and White Rag (the theme tune from Pot Black - a BBC snooker programme of the 70s). The ball and table sounds along with the crowd applause are all realistic and well sampled.

Grab factor – 95%

Instantly playable, a joyously simple control system coupled with an impressively thorough selection of options and play modes make this a doddle to pick up and play. And it has an online manual too - impressive!

Playability – 66%

The two-player game is glorious, the game is easy to play and the game mechanics generally work well. But watching a stupidly strong computer opponent in the one-player mode pull off endless trick shots gets annoying very quickly and does spoil things somewhat.

Verdict 79%

AG - October 2024

Featured in Amiga Addict magazine, issue 35.

Monty Python's Flying Circus

Monty Python’s Flying Circus - Review

(Virgin Games, Commodore Amiga Game, 1990)

“There’s another dead bishop on the landing...”

Regular readers will know that I hold little enthusiasm for licensed games of the 80s and 90s. I am firmly of the opinion that a developer spending the majority of their budget on a licence will inevitably produce a game that a) is underwhelming, and b) will often pay no more than a passing nod to the original film, TV series or whatever it is that is being represented.

I would therefore suggest that a significant majority of licensed games released for the Amiga were lazy cash-ins, frequently relying on the title alone to achieve sales, and the chances of one offering a positive gaming experience are perhaps slightly worse than those of my 12-fold accumulator coming in next weekend (Ed. “Remember kids - gambling isn’t big or clever!”).

Is this the right room for an argument?

With all that in mind, my expectations of Monty Python’s Flying Circus weren’t high. But with my impartial and professional reviewer’s hat on, I booted it up - ready to be proved wrong.

For our younger readers I should explain that Monty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC comedy-sketch television programme dating from 1969. It features Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin, with occasional appearances by Terry Gilliam (who also provided the extensively used animation) and Carol Cleveland.

While the quality of the four TV series was sometimes a little uneven, they were always innovative and controversial. They were also unashamedly maverick and crazy, and at times extraordinarily left-field and outrageously funny. The programme spawned a cult-following and a number of movies, including: And Now for Something Completely Different, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life. When the team reunited to play a one off show at the London O2 Arena in 2014, tickets sold out in 43 seconds and a further nine dates had to be added to meet demand.

Now at this point, I should say that if you are not familiar with Monty Python, then most of the in-game references in this review are going to go straight over your head. But we are going to have to live with that; if I were to try and explain them all properly then I would need half the space in this magazine! You will just have to trust me when I tell you that it is all connected, and is often rather clever and amusing.

Number one, the Larch

Considering the hugely varied subject matter of the team’s most famous sketches, it seems inconceivable that too much can be squeezed into a game. Well, kudos where it’s due – Core Design have only gone and done it. The game really feels like Python, right from the start. The introduction screen sets the tone, with an audio sample of the classic announcement, “It’s... Monty Python’s Flying Circus” accompanied by the unmistakable theme tune.

Then, just two or three seconds into playing the game, we cut away from the main action to a screen proclaiming, “And now... How to recognise different types of tree from quite a long way away. Number 1. The Larch.”...followed by a graphic of a Larch tree. And this is repeated with different trees throughout the game (Ed. “Lifted from: And Now For Something Completely Different”). The madness has already started, and I laughed out loud. It is very silly. And that, in a nutshell, is what Python was (and still is) all about. Extreme silliness.

Spam, Spam, Spam, sausage, Spam, Spam, egg, beans and Spam

This level of detail has been replicated throughout the game. It clearly hasn’t been coded by someone working to a checklist and a set of rules; this is a labour of love created by true fans, with the Python references coming thick and fast. The fonts used are reminiscent of those from the original series. The graphics are pure Terry Gilliam. You collect eggs, sausages, beans and cans of Spam to top up your energy, and at the end of each world a Terry Jones old woman voice sample counts them out in his inimitable fashion.

You have to avoid 16 tonne weights, flying dismembered legs, dead parrots, keep-left signs, flying sheep and bees (Eric the half a bee, I am sure!). Towards the end of the first world you are accosted by The Spanish Inquisition (Ed. “I bet you didn’t expect that!”) who throw cushions at you, obviously!

There are men from the Ministry of Silly Walks, arguments to negotiate, a copy protection test that requires you to identify a cheese, and your score starts at 99999999 and counts down as you play (with the lowest score topping the high-score table!). So many brilliant little touches! I loved it!

“My brain hurts...”

You play as Mr Gumby, who has lost his brain. What follows is a sort of shoot-em-up, platformer, exploration affair, in which you are required to navigate small play areas, linked by a series of pipes, avoiding all manner of Python-esque bad guys in order to ultimately recover your missing brain pieces.

You can throw fish to kill your adversaries, remove parts of the play area that might be blocking you, or activate switches that release energy top-ups. Control is intuitive, extremely smooth and nicely balanced.

I wish to register a complaint...

However, while the graphics are varied, the first world is presented in a strangely muted palette; although things do improve as you work your way through the game. But perhaps the big question is - will you bother? It isn’t a long game - it can be completed in less than an hour - but unfortunately it does get tough very quickly and I would be surprised if many progress past the first world or so.

Also, a Python fan will find that most things encountered, while strange and bizarre, are clever and amusing references to the programme. But for a player unfamiliar with the shows, a lot will probably appear to just be a load of bizarre nonsense.

And now for something completely different

However, credit where it is due. To address my initial concern - this is most certainly not a lazy licence product. Core Design has produced something completely different; a licensed game crafted with real love and capturing the essence of the original shows and films.

For a Python fan the game will provide many happy memories and a lot of laughs, and personally, being an enthusiast, I thoroughly enjoyed it. But on the flip side, I can’t help but wonder whether, for a non-fan, the randomness and difficulty level might just turn this into a bit of an unappealing, confusing mess, full of niche in-jokes that make no sense.

Ultimately then, my ratings are for a player familiar with the original series, since the nostalgia hit and humour play a significant part of the game’s appeal. For those lacking that context and simply judging it as a game in its own right, I would have to knock off 15%.

Graphics - 83%

A fabulous variety of Python related imagery, presented in pure Terry Gilliam style. It’s a shame the first world uses such a dull palate though.

Sound - 71%

In-game sound is fairly minimal, but there are some great audio samples from the programme.

Grab factor - 90%

A Python fan is going to love this - the references are non-stop from the off and some are beautifully executed.

Playability - 68%

Although the levels are clever and the themes are varied, the gameplay itself does become a tad samey and quickly becomes unnecessarily difficult.

Verdict 78%

AG - November 2024

Featured in Amiga Addict magazine, issue xx.