[{"TitleName":"Thingy and the Doodahs","Publisher":"Americana Software Ltd","Author":"John Dilley, Loon, Michael Smith, Wally","YearOfRelease":"1986","ZxDbId":"0005234","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 34, Nov 1986","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1986-10-23","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":164,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishers: Roger Kean, Oliver Frey, Franco Frey\r\nPublishing Executive/Editor: Graeme Kidd\r\nStaff Writers: Lee Paddon, Lloyd Mangram, Hannah Smith\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Sean Masterson\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nContributing Writers: Jon Bates, Brendon Kavanagh, Rosetta McLeod, John Minson\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Dick Shiner\r\nIllustrators: Ian Craig, Oliver Frey\r\nProduction: Gordon Druce, Tony Lorton, Cameron Pound, Jonathan Rignall, Matthew Uffindell\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Nick Wild\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nBookings [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH Magazine unless accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©1986 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCRASH ABC FIGURE:\r\n101,483 Total\r\n97,992 UK and EIRE"},"MainText":"Producer: Americana\r\nRetail Price: £2.99\r\nAuthor: Michael Smith\r\n\r\nOur hero's parents are obviously rather scatterbrained people as they've christened their son Thingy. In fact this absent-mindedness runs in the family because Thingy refers to everyday objects around him as doodahs and thingummybobs. is it any wonder that a lad so dim has managed to loose his precious Spectrum?\r\n\r\nThingy has to scamper round trying to get £60 together so that he can buy a new one before his parents find out that it's missing. (Budget game, budget Spectrum!) The Thingy household is chaotic and Thingy can find a bit of the money which he so desperately needs just by hunting through his brother's bedroom and other rooms in the building.\r\n\r\nHowever, some of the money belongs to the Doodahs and they are understandably reluctant to part with it just so Thingy can buy himself a new computer. They manifest themselves in various hideous forms and set out to terrorise Thingy wherever he goes. There are different sorts of Doodahs. The most deadly are the vicious Whatsisnames. Others reside under the splendid titles of Thingummybobs, Whatchamacaltits and the fiendish So-and-sos. These perishing little objects never give up trying to protect their cash. Contact with the nasties costs Thingy one of his ten lives.\r\n\r\nAt the side of the main screen a panel shows Thingy's progress in the game. At the top is a box showing how much money he has managed to collect and below the cashometer a pink box reveals Thingy's lives.\r\n\r\nWill Thingy be able to replace his Spectrum in time? Or will he suffer the tortures of withdrawal symptoms first? Only you can answer this.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: Q up, A down, O left, P right. X pause, C un-pause, Z tune on, CAPS SHIFT tune off\r\nJoystick: Kempston, Cursor, Interface 2\r\nKeyboard play: responsive\r\nUse of colour bright and cheerful\r\nGraphics: simplistic\r\nSound: awful tune\r\nSkill levels: one\r\nScreens: over 200","ReviewerComments":["What a strange name for a typical budget game! The graphics are very small and contain very little animation. Colour is used lavishly but clashes aren't too much of a problem as the characters are all fitted in their own little space. I don't think the game is very playable as it lacks constant speed of travel - the screen locks up when there's a lot on it - and you're limited to four directions. This is definitely the worst game that AMERICANA have brought out so far. It is totally unoriginal and, at three pounds, overpriced.\r\r\nUnknown","The loading screen is fantastic: in over two years of games colourful, pretty and interesting screen, and the way it loads up even knocks Fighting Warrior into a cocked hat. Unfortunately, the game itself fails short, playing in a similar way to JSW and the like. The graphics are of an average standard for this type of game: the characters are all nicely animated, but are small and badly detailed. The sound is not good - there are a few well placed spot effects and a dire tune which you can turn off if it annoys you. Thingy and the Doodahs is not an unplayable game and it represents quite good value for just three pounds but it didn't really appeal to me. It is unoriginal and rather out of date.\r\r\nUnknown","Ah, poor Thingy has broken his Spectrum; what a wally as it says on the inlay! Honestly, if this is the sort of game he plays on it, then I'd leave it broken, and buy another computer, because this is the sort of low quality cheapy game that gives us Spectrum owners a bad name among the other computer users of this world. The loading screen is very good, in the way that the picture draws from the bottom corner up. The graphics, though are very primitive, and the game itself is unplayable to a very great degree. Though low in price, as far as I'm concerned, Thingy can keep his Doodahs, because I don't want them, that's for sure.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: A fairly basic game.","Page":"20","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Thingy walks towards the bed in search of another proud coin for his Spectrum fund. He's the little guy above the alarm clock."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"44%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"42%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"39%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"45%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"36%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"43%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"39%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 11, Nov 1986","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1986-10-09","Editor":"Kevin Cox","TotalPages":113,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Kevin Cox\r\nArt Editor: Martin Dixon\r\nDeputy Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nProduction Editor: Sara Biggs\r\nDesigner: Caroline Clayton\r\nStaff Writer: Phil South\r\nTechnical Consultant: Peter Shaw\r\nContributors: Stephen Adams, Luke C, Mike Gerrard, Tim Hartnell, Ian Hoare, Gwyn Hughes, ZZKJ, Tommy Nash, Chris Palmer, Max Phillips, Rick Robson, Rachael Smith\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Julian Harriott\r\nProduction Managers: Sonia Hunt, Judith Middleton\r\nPublishing Manager: Roger Munford\r\nPublishing Director: Stephen England\r\n\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press 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 ©1986 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":"Americana \n£2.99\nReviewer: Max Phillips\n\nThingy and the Doodahs? Yeah, it's one of them cheapie wotsits based on whatyamacallit-type game. Usual sort of blobby things legging it round a vast number of rooms. You've got to trog round avoiding them and collecting the lobbies scattered about. And all with only one more life than the average cat.\n\nBut wait a mo... this one's triff! You'll need every trick in the book because programmer Mike Smith (no relation?) has used every one in his.\n\nTalk about split-pixel positioning - you often need to nudge right up into the attribute space of a killer baddie before you can make a dash past it. And some of the rooms require you to move at incredible speed as well as with super precision.\n\nBut the mix of easy-peasey, fiendishly difficult and downright impossible is really well balanced to get you started quickly and then keep you glued to your set for days. There's 64 so-and-sos to collect, of which you need 60. But they're scattered through over 200 rooms, including an extensive forest maze. So rest assured this ain't no ten-minute wonder.\n\nAs the title might suggest-the plots a teensy bit weak and the vaguely plausible rooms rapidly degenerate into sub-Jet Set Willy humour and complete weirdities. There's even a little moralising: a \"Drugs' room full of 'Say No'signs, that leads, among others, through 'Driving Drunk to 'Killer Fags'.\n\nThis last one's a toughie - the fag packets littered around are lethal (unlike the background graphics in other rooms) and the only exit throws you back into the path of a hypodermic in 'Drugs', where you'll soon get the point!\n\nOkay graphics, okay sound okay with a joystick (better with a rubber keyboard) and about as original as sliced bread but utterly addictive. Incredible fun and a steal at £2.99. Well worth a thingimajig... dooberies this juicy don't grow on trees you know.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"74,75","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Max Phillips","Score":"6","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"6/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"6/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 61, Nov 1986","Price":"£98","ReleaseDate":"1986-10-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":140,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Tim Metcalfe\r\nDeputy Editor: Paul Boughton\r\nEditorial Assistant: Lesley Walker\r\nSub-Editor: Seamus St. John\r\nDesign: Craig Kennedy\r\nAdventure Writers: Keith Campbell, Paul Coppins, Steve Donoghue\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi\r\nPublicity: Marcus Rich\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Garry Williams\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Katherine Lee\r\nAd Production: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Rita Lewis\r\nCover: Gary Ward\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nJuly-December 98,258"},"MainText":"MACHINE: Spectrum\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold/Americana\r\nPRICE: £2.99\r\n\r\nThingy and the Doodahs is one of the best of the bunch of new Americana budget releases for the Spectrum from US Gold. The game is a pretty basic dash-about-the-maze-collectingobjects-and avoiding-nasties game. You've seen it all before - but the game is at least playable.\r\n\r\nThingy is a wally - not one of THE Wally's you understand - just a bit of a berk who has broken his Spectrum. He sets out to collect the £60 he needs to buy a new one, chased by all sorts of refugees from Jet Set Willy's mansion.\r\n\r\nThingy will keep your interest for a couple of hours - but I reckon that it's about £l too expensive even so. The graphics are very basic and so is the sound. Save your money for a better budget game.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"24","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Tim Metcalfe","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"3/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"3/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"5/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"5/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 31, Nov 1986","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1986-10-23","Editor":"Bryan Ralph","TotalPages":92,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Bryan Ralph\r\nAssistant Editor: Cliff Joseph\r\nConsultant Editor: Ray Elder\r\nAdvertising Manager: John McGarry\r\nDesign: Argus Design\r\nA.S.P. Advertising and Editorial [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted by Alabaster Passmore and Sons Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nAdvertisement Copy Controller: Andy Selwood\r\n\r\nDistributed by: Argus Press Sales and Distribution Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing Monthly is published on the fourth Friday of each month. Subscription rates can be obtained from ZX Subscriptions, [redacted]\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication, including all articles, designs plans, drawings and other intellectual property rights herein belong to Argus Specialist Publications Limited. All rights conferred by the law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of international copyright conventions are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Limited and any reproduction requires the prior written consent of the company.\r\n\r\nArgus Specialist Publications Limited. ©1986"},"MainText":"Americana\r\n£2.99\r\n\r\nThe standard of budget software seems to be varying quite a lot these days. On one hand there's a small number of games that make full price titles look overpriced, but at the same time there are still a lot of budget games that really ought never to have seen the light of day.\r\n\r\nThen, on the other hand, there are games like Thingy and the Doodahs which are neither incredibly good nor incredibly bad and which make a poor reviewer's life hell because you can't rave over them or indulge yourself by giving them a good drubbing. So what do you say about them?\r\n\r\nWell, the plot of the game goes like this; Thingy (a little sprite type person with an idiotic grin) has gone and broken his Spectrum and has to replace it with a new one before his parents find out. The only way for him to do this is to go of in search of the money to buy a replacement (just £60 apparently - do Americana know more abut Amstrad's plans for the Speccy than they're letting on?), and this will take him on a journey around some 200 locations, including rooms in his house and the neighbouring countryside.\r\n\r\nAs usual though, there are monsters out to get him. In this case it's a bunch of creatures known as Doodahs, which come in various types. There are Whatsisnames, Thingummybobs, Whachamacallits and So-and-So, and they're all equally deadly.\r\n\r\nThingy is a good old fashioned maze game with £1 coins as the objects that you've got to collect. It's not badly done, but it does look fairly dated - most of the passageways and monsters are small character sized blocks, making use of the UDG facility, so the game looks reminiscent of others that you could have bought three years ago. It's not fast and furious, but dodging around the Doodahs and the passages of the maze is quite complex in places and the author has clearly put a bit of thought into the layout of all the rooms.\r\n\r\nI can't really recommend Thingy and the Doodahs one way or the other. It's not such a bad game that you'll regret every penny you part with to buy it, but neither is it the sort of game that is ever likely to be remembered two months after you bought it. The word that describes it best is 'average'.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"40","Denied":false,"Award":"Globert","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"Good","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]