[{"TitleName":"Pink Panther","Publisher":"Gremlin Graphics Software Ltd","Author":"Magic Bytes, Rolf Lakamper, Volker Marohn","YearOfRelease":"1988","ZxDbId":"0003725","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 57, Oct 1988","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1988-09-22","Editor":"Dominic Handy","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Dominic Handy\r\nSub Editors: Barnaby Page, David Peters\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Philip King, Lloyd Mangram, Nick Roberts\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nContributors: Jon Bates, Raffaele Cecco, Andrew Chapman, Ian Cull, Paul Evans, Ian Philipson, Paul Sumner\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nReprographics Supervisor: Matthew Uffindell\r\nArt Director: Mark Kendrick\r\nAssistant Art Director: Wayne Allen\r\nProduction Team: Ian Chubb, Melvin Fisher, Robert Hamilton, Robert Millichamp, Tim Morris, Yvonne Priest\r\n\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nSales Executives: Andrew Smales, Sarah Chapman\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypeset by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group. Distribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop Frances Mable a line at the [redacted] address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. No material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\nTotal: 96,590\r\nUK/EIRE: 90,822\r\n\r\n©CRASH Ltd, 1988\r\n\r\nCover Design & Illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Cat burglar in somnambulism theft shocker\r\n\r\nProducer: Gremlin Graphics\r\nOut of Pocket: £7.99 cass, £12.99 disk\r\nAuthor: Volker Marohn, the reLINE team (from an idea by Rolf Lakamper)\r\n\r\nFeline star of many a cartoon, the Pink Panther never seems to have much luck. Due to his excessive lifestyle (he only drinks pink champagne) he's currently broke. So the oddly-coloured cat burglar takes the drastic decision to get a job as a butler, working for the filthy rich.\r\n\r\nOf course, he doesn't plan to keep his light claws to himself. No way, Jose - he aims to steal as many valuable items as he can during the night. There's just one problem - his master is a somnambulist (no, I don't know what it means either). ('Sleepwalker', use your dictionary - Ed.) if he should bump into a wall or other solid object, the boss awakes and catches the naughty panther pink-handed.\r\n\r\nYou control the puce pussy (it's a sort of red, not the stuff you throw up after a ba-a-aad party) as he carefully guides his sweet-dreaming master around the mansion by physically turning him around or by jingling a bell. And grabbing valuable objects on the way.\r\n\r\nOther tricks up his fur are a variety of objects in his possession which can be inflated and dropped. These include a Pink Panther lookalike, catapults and boards to guide the master round obstacles. Also wandering around the house is that diligent detective, Inspector Clouseau. He can be dealt with by positioning an inflatable hole (honest!) in his path.\r\n\r\nThe idea of inflating objects sounds intriguing, but in reality the game's frustrating and unplayable. The slightest mistake causes the sleepwalker to wake up, ending the game. Worst of all is that you never have enough time to experiment with the positioning of objects, so progress is very much a trial and error affair - an extremely frustrating one at that.\r\n\r\nPHIL 37%\r\n\r\nTHE ESSENTIALS\r\nJoysticks: Kempston, Cursor, Sinclair\r\nGraphics: garish backgrounds and sloppy sprites\r\nSound: awful effects and no tunes!","ReviewerComments":["The game looks horrible; the colour scheme is garish (pass the sun shades, vicar), and the rinky-dink pink himself looks little more than a small misshapen pussy cat than a large mother of a Panther. Control of the game is so difficult that it interferes with pilfering. All this adds up to a game interesting in concept, but poorly implemented. My attention quickly turned elsewhere.\r\nMark Caswell\r\n37%","This game is a faithful conversion of the cartoon Pink Panther, it's just a pity the cartoon's rubbish. The amount of clash is the first thing that amazes, but the worst is yet to come. The sleepwalker is just impossible to control. It's easy to make him change direction but when it comes to getting him across rugs in his way it's impossible. There are no tunes on the 48K or 128K machines and just the odd feeble effect.\r\nNick Roberts\r\n26%"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: This panther's rosy colour must surely be due to appearing in such an embarassing tie-in!","Page":"24","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Phil King","Score":"37","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"37","ScoreSuffix":"%"},{"Name":"Nick Roberts","Score":"26","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Pinch the silver, but don't awaken your sleepwalking master."}],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"IN THE PINK\r\n\r\nAlways insure that you have the correct apparel for each level (on Level One Pink Panther needs a top hat to gain the job).\r\n\r\nRing the bell, or stand in the defensive position to change the sleepwalker's direction.\r\n\r\nUse inflatable items to aid in guiding the sleepwalker safely, or in the case of the Inflatable Panther, to fool the Inspector.\r\n\r\nWhatever you do make sure that Pink Panther stays awake, watch the face icon (bottom left of the screen), keep him awake without awakening anyone else."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Presentation","Score":"45%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"34%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"26%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"25%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"34%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 35, Nov 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-10-11","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nDeputy Editor: Ciaran Brennan\r\nStaff Writer: Duncan MacDonald\r\nProduction Editor: Jackie Ryan\r\nDesigner: Catherine Higgs\r\nTechnical Consultant: David McCandless\r\nContributors: Guy Bennington, Marcus Berkmann, Richard Blaine, David Cadle, Jonathan Davies, Mike 'Skippy' Dunn, Greville Edwards, Mike Gerrard, Sean Kelly, Graeme Kidd, David Powell, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Phil South, Ben Stone\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Simon Stansfield\r\nAdvertisement Director: Alistair Ramsay\r\nProduction Manager: Judith Middleton\r\nMarketing Manager: Bryan Denyer\r\nPublisher: Kevin Cox\r\nPublishing Director: Roger Munford\r\nFinance Director: Colin Crawford\r\nManaging Director: Stephen England\r\nChairman: Felix Dennis\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1988 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"Gremlin Graphics\r\n£8.99 cass/£12.99 disk\r\nReviewer: Jonathan Davies\r\n\r\nIt's clear from the pink cassette inlay, and pink instruction leaflet that this game has definite pink connections. Even the tape itself is, er, red.\r\n\r\nPink Panther is a game that's been around for a while on those big, juicy 16-bit machines, but I won't go on about that - I know how tetchy you all get. Let's just say that it got a pretty cool reception, and unfortunately it looks as it this conversion will meet a similar fate.\r\n\r\nWith his credit limit reached once again, PP has decided to get a job as a butler. There are four jobs to choose from, and he has to buy smarter, more expensive clothes to qualify for the better-paid ones. The idea is that once he's wangled his way into the job he'll be able to do the rounds (once his lordship's in bed) and clean up.\r\n\r\nThere are three options on the title screen. Press 'up' to buy clothing and 'left' to choose a job. Pressing 'right' prints a flashing desert island on the screen and the game locks up. This would be fine, except I must have done it about 6,357 times by accident, so I spent most of my time re-loading the darned thing. Still, at least the gameplay whiffs of originality, obviously a result of its German origins.\r\n\r\nOnce inside the house of his choice, PP discovers an unfortunate fact, his employer's a sleepwalker. So unless PP can stop his employer bumping into things as he wanders around, PP's employer will wake up and catch him in the act. But luckily, there are a number of ways to prevent this. The simplest is to face the chap and press 'fire', which will push him in the opposite direction. Ringing a bell makes him turn in or out of the screen. There are also catapaults, and boards which can be left around the place to point him in the right direction.\r\n\r\nAnother snag is that as always the formidable Inspector Clouseau is on the trail, and he'll have to be avoided too.\r\n\r\nIt has to be said that the graphics are quite good in this game. Considering the critical lack of the colour pink in the Speccy's palette the programmers have made rather a good job of it, if you don't mind the slightly garish colours and the obligatory attribute-clash.\r\n\r\nBut unfortunately, despite the nice graphics and original design, the whole thing just fails to come together. The way the sleepwalker responds to your attempts to control him seems a little erratic, and the system of choosing objects is far too slow to use at awkward moments.\r\n\r\nSo, in a wrapping-it-all-up-nicely sort of way, I'm sorry to report that this one seems to be a bit of a wasted licence. A shame, really, considering the thought that must have gone into it. Give it a miss and you'll be tickled pi... (Snip! Ed).","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Original, but a bit of a berm to play if you ask me.","Page":"36","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Jonathan Davies","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"4/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 80, Nov 1988","Price":"£1.6","ReleaseDate":"1988-10-18","Editor":"Graham Taylor","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Graham 'No Compromise' Taylor\r\nDeputy Editor: Jim 'Accelerate Out of Trouble' Douglas\r\nProduction Editor: Alison 'I'm Just Popping Out for a Massage' Skeat\r\nArt Editor: Tim 'High Tackle' Noonan\r\nAdventure: The Sorceress\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nTechnical: Andrew Hewson, Rupert Goodwins\r\nContributors: Tony 'I've Lost My Glasses. Wah!' Dillon, Chris 'They Should Be Shot' Jenkins\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Katherine Lee\r\nSenior Sales: Shane Hussien\r\nAd Production: Emma Ward\r\nPublisher's Assistant: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Terry 'I'm Not Leaving Until You Agree With Me' Pratt\r\nMarketing: Clive 'Zxxx' Pembridge\r\n\r\nPhone: [redacted]\r\nFax: [redacted]\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nThis Month's Cover: Jerry 'Mad Dog' Parks\r\n\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1988 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries: [redacted]\r\n24 Hour Order Line: [redacted]\r\nBack Issues: Back Issues Department (SU), [redacted]"},"MainText":"Label: Gremlin\r\nAuthor: Magic Bytes\r\nPrice: £8.99\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nJoystick: various\r\nReviewer: Chris Jenkins\r\n\r\n\"Think of all the animals you've ever heard about, like rhinosorousntigercatsnmink...\" remember that one? Well, sincethe Pink Panther cartoons have been on TV since the year yonk, and the Peter Sellers films seem to be on every holiday, you jolly well ought to remember the Pink Panther theme. Whether Gremlin's game will remain in the memory for that long remains to be seen.\r\n\r\nWritten by a German company called Magic Bytes, and suffering from a very poorly translated manual, Pink Panther is an arcade adventure with all the zany humour and graphic style of the cartoons. The Panther character himself is nicely done, and Inspector Clouseau pops up too. The supporting cast have the bulbous noses and rudimentary bodies we've come to know and love. Unfortunately, there's a good deal of colour clash when characters move in front of backgrounds - one case where it wouldn't have made sense to try using monochrome graphics (the blue panther?)\r\n\r\nIf you can make any sense of the instructions - (\"Pink Panther is on the run! You are right, I am back indeed... even the inflatable hole has unhappy consequences for the inspector!\") you'll figure out that the aim is to plunder five houses, and get away with enough loot to afford a holiday on a tropical isle.\r\n\r\nYour first move, then, is to go to the supermarket. For each \"job\" you need an object which convinces your potential employer that you are suitable for the post of butler. For the first, it's a top hat, for which you have to hand over a certain sum of money. For subsequent jobs, you need a watch, a reference and a car, most of which you can only afford once you have completed the previous job.\r\n\r\nFrom the supermarket you move to the employment agency where you choose your next job, then to the office where your employer interviews you. Come up with the right token, and you get the job.\r\n\r\nThe idea is that once you get into the house, you have to loot it without allowing your sleepwalking employer to wake up. This involves guiding him around the obstacles while you rush around picking up objects and avoiding the wily Clouseau.\r\n\r\nThe problem is that the control method is so involved and baffling, and the instructions so self-contradictory, that it's practically impossible to play the game.\r\n\r\nEach room has a certain number of exits and entrances. It's easy to steer the Panther around, but your somnambulistic boss will bump into furniture and doorframes unless you guide him. You can do this in two ways; stand in front of him and raise your arms, in which case he'll turn around or ring a bell (which is the first object you pick up) upon which he'll follow you. It's harder than that, though; in some cases, to avoid obstacles you have to use other objects. To get over the bearskin rug, for instance, you have to get the springboard, put it in front of your slumbering boss, and let him leap over it.\r\n\r\nDespite the instructions and corrections to the instructions, things still don't always work according to plan; for instance, in some cases the sleeper, rather than turning away from you and walking backwards, simply turns and runs into the wall, losing you the round. It's more than a little annoying.\r\n\r\nNow, I liked the films and I loved the cartoons, but the game just doesn't cut it. the basic idea's good, but the gameplay's a turkey and if you can't play it, there's not much point in buying it just to look at the box, is there? A disappointment.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Disappointing game of the hip cartoon series.","Page":"45","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Chris Jenkins","Score":"51","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"69%","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"30%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"48%","Text":""},{"Header":"Lastability","Score":"49%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"51%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"The Games Machine Issue 12, Nov 1988","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1988-10-20","Editor":"Jon Rose","TotalPages":132,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Jon Rose\r\nAssistant Editor: Nik Wild\r\nFeatures Editor: Barnaby Page\r\nStaff Writers: Robin Hogg, Warren Lapworth, Robin Candy\r\nEditorial Assistant: Vivien Vickress, Caroline Blake\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson (Assistant)\r\nContributors: Jon Bates, Mel Croucher, Robin Evans, John Woods, Stuart Wynne, Jon Rose\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nArt Director: Mark Kendrick\r\nAssistant: Wayne Allen\r\nProduction Team: Matthew Uffindell, Ian Chubb, Yvonne Priest, Melvin Fisher, Robert Millichamp, Robert Hamilton, Tim Morris\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Sales Executives: Andrew Smales, Sarah Chapman\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\n\r\nMAIL ORDER\r\nCarol Kinsey\r\n\r\nSUBSCRIPTIONS\r\nDenise Roberts\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypeset by the Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset [redacted] - a member of the BPCC Group. Distribution effected by COMAG, [redacted].\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of THE GAMES MACHINE. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop Erica Gwilliam a line at the PO Box 10 address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions.\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into THE GAMES MACHINE - including written and photographic material, hardware or software - unless it's accompanied by a suitably stamped, addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photographic material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©TGM Magazines Ltd, 1988\r\nA Newsfield Publication ISSN 0954-8092\r\n\r\nCover Design by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Spectrum 48/128 Cassette: £8.99, Diskette: £12.99\r\nAmstrad CPC Cassette: £9.99, Diskette: £14.99\r\nCommodore 64/128 Cassette: £9.99, Diskette: £14.99\r\n\r\nThe Pink Panther leaves Durham once more to stalk the mansions of the rich. He is planning a luxurious holiday in the Sun, unfortunately his paltry butlers pay is not enough for the vacation he dreams of, so he takes to burglarising his employers houses.\r\n\r\nThis is not as easy a task as he thought, for he invariably chooses sleepwalkers as bosses! You, controlling the Pink Panther, steer the somnambulists away from obstacles to prevent them from waking and discovering your pink plans. You can shove them out of the way, ring a bell or blow-up an inflatable pant her to guide sleepwalkers. Catapults and planks lying around the building can be used to direct him over more tricky obstacles. As this is done, flashing valuables are collected to fill up a money bag and make the holiday affordable.\r\n\r\nThe graphics are cartoon-like but predictably fall short of the 16 bit versions. Visually, the Commodore 64/128 comes out best, the Amstrad featuring cramped sprites and the Spectrum having noticeable attribute problems.\r\n\r\nHowever, like the Atari ST and Amiga versions it is the control system which lets the game down. Pushing and bell-ringing to steer the sleepwalker is an awkward system and requires rapid and accurate reactions, and 11 a single mistake is made, you have to go right back to the beginning.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"40","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"AMSTRAD CPC\r\n\r\nOverall: 30%"},{"Text":"ATARI ST Overall: 34% TGM006\r\nAMIGA Overall: 39% TGM006"},{"Text":"COMMODORE 64/128\r\n\r\nOverall: 32%"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"36%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]