[{"TitleName":"The Boggit","Publisher":"CRL Group PLC","Author":"Fergus McNeill, Judith Child","YearOfRelease":"1986","ZxDbId":"0006023","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 32, Sep 1986","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1986-08-28","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishers: Roger Kean, Oliver Frey, Franco Frey\r\nEditor: Graeme Kidd\r\nStaff Writers: Tony Flanagan, 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\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"THE BOGGIT\r\n\r\nProducer: CRL\r\nRetail Price: £7.95\r\nAuthor: Delta 4\r\n\r\nThe name behind DELTA 4 is one Fergus McNeil. He brought you Robin of Sherlock and Bored of the Rings and now he's waylaying us with his latest offering - The Boggit, Bored Too (two, that is). Regulars to the column will remember how I enjoyed both of Fergus's earlier offerings but wondered how universally funny the jokes actually were. In The Boggit, the comic genius's talent has been trained, focused and profitably directed towards the one theme - taking The Hobbit computer game to the cleaners (although the thought of cleansing isn't quite the right analogy here)!\r\n\r\nEveryone who has played The Hobbit will find something to laugh at here, and even Tolkien illiterates will realise something funny's going on as Bimbo struggles with supposed friend and foe alike to try and emulate the exploits of Bilbo in the original. This game is awarded a SMASH not just because it is amusing at the expense of a game and a theme familiar to everyone but due to its standing as an adventure - the game reads well, plays well, and the presentation is slick and polished to a tee.\r\n\r\nA comfortable tunnel-like hall is Bimbo's home and there's the familiar round green door set in the middle of a very familiar picture not unlike the first frame of The Hobbit (remember how DELTA 4 mimicked Robin of Sherwood pictures in their last spoof)? OPEN CHEST and 'Bimbo.. couldn't quite see inside.' Any adventurer worth his salt will recognise a prompt to action here and so it is that the intrepid explorer clears the first hurdle, but only after dodging the very real threat posed by some glamorous milk choccies accompanied by a card and delivered at great risk. Typically the chocs are explosive and are delivered by none other than that conniving rascal Grandalf: 'Suddenly, there was a resounding crash, and Grandalf tarzaned in through the window, collapsing elegantly on the floor beside Bimbo. He hastily fumbled about in his robes for something, then placed a box of chocolates and a card carefully on the carpet before scrambling out through the now broken window'. Much longer passages than this pop up throughout the adventure and because they are so well-written add immensely to the fun and atmosphere of the game.\r\n\r\nAssuming players can suss the combination lock on the green door and side-step the exploding chocolates they might like to explore the Boggit-hole with the super EXAMINE command. As an example of how full this adventure is let's take the toilet area which one might have assumed to be a bit of a backwater (no rude joke intended). Using this command we learn how the toilet looks a bit dubious, how the sink contains some ancient mouthwash stains, the medicine cabinet to be securely welded shut, and the floor tiles to be a bit wet but otherwise uninteresting. This is an aspect of adventuring I enjoy very much - the idea that there are many nooks and crannies to explore which may or may not have some direct bearing on the outcome of the adventure. Using the toilet gives rise to the following gem: 'Bimbo tries to make use of the toilet. Suddenly, a huge, bottle-shaped monster reared up out of the bowl and bit him horribly! 'See you soon' it gurgled unpleasantly and sank out of sight'. Before I leave this area of the adventure, a tip to those reading: if you are having difficulty with the combination and can't get out of this bit, type HELP and take the advice literally.\r\n\r\nAfter meeting up with the dwarves, Bimbo is thrust into the middle of a TV quiz show, compered by Grandalf, which poses the question, 'Bimbo Faggins, we have here a 14th share of Thorny's dwarvish treasure. How much do you think it's worth?' The prize for getting this question right is not a breakfast tea service but an extended camping holiday which sounds remarkably like one of those nasty adventure quests with dragons and the ilk. But first Bimbo must get through his hangover from drinking too much dwarvish ale, and Grandalf and Thorny the Dwarf must settle their differences after an argument and fight over Grandalf's tricking Thorny's dad, Drain, out of a key and map leaving the old demented dwarf incarcerated in the necromancers' mental hospital. This imposing building can be found along with many other such sillies on the inside cover of the inlay.\r\n\r\nNo opportunity has been missed to poke fun at the Tolkien map. Old ford lies opposite a picture of a new Ford uncannily like a Ford Sierra, a new forest trunk road goes nowhere but almost reaches the municipal golf course, and even Ludlow gets a mention along with the likes of Weeble World and The Great River Anadin.\r\n\r\nI'll leave you with the first verse of the dwarves' song ringing in your ears.\r\n\r\nWe're dwarfs, we're dwarfs, all doomed to die\r\nWe'll probably finish in the dragon's pie\r\nSo we'll take 'ol Bimbo Faggins, a real cement head\r\nHopefully 'ol Daug will eat him instead\r\nSing: Hog the gold! Pass the buck!\r\nSplit Bimbo's share between us. \r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nDifficulty: very playable but still some tricky bits\r\nGraphics: a few, very average, but pleasant\r\nPresentation: neat redesigned character set, good\r\nInput facility: verb/noun\r\nResponse: fast Quill response","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: Good, witty stuff.","Page":"62,63","Denied":false,"Award":"Crash Smash","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Derek Brewster","Score":"90","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Atmosphere","Score":"92%","Text":""},{"Header":"Vocabulary","Score":"86%","Text":""},{"Header":"Logic","Score":"83%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Quality","Score":"94%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"90%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 10, Oct 1986","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1986-09-11","Editor":"Kevin Cox","TotalPages":106,"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, Tommy Nash, Chris Palmer, Max Phillips, Rick Robson, Rachael Smith, Chris Wood\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":"FAX BOX\nGame: The Boggit\nPublisher: CRL\nPrice: £7.95\nReviewer: Mike Gerrard\n\nIn a hole in the Shire, which is a particularly retarded area of Muddle Earth, there lived a Boggit called Bimbo Faggins. He was a lazy fat Boggit whose only interests in life were blowing rings and watching the Elven girls go swimming down at the old mill pond. If there was one thing he was determined about, it was that he would never get caught up in one of those silly adventure games. Then he saw Grandalf the meddling old conjuror come walking down the garden path...\n\nYes, here they are again folks, many people's favourite adventure writers, Fergus McNeill and Judith Child. Bilbo Baggins will never be the same again... well, not with a name like Bimbo Faggins he won't. The Boggit, or Bored Too, is split into three different programs, and as we've come to expect from the Delta 4 mob there's a bonus programme as well, Sceptical II, which I'll leave you to discover for yourself.\n\nIn the first location you'll see that familiar chest, the familiar green door, with the not quite so familiar green toilet to the south. Even Boggits have to go sometime, I suppose. The door to the outside world is locked against Grandalf, but doors are no obstacle to a meddling old conjuror. He has a quest for Bimbo, and he also leaves him a gift - a box of exploding chocolates.\n\nDon't try looking for the 'Sell by' date, just get out of the way before you're splattered, though you can try dropping them in the chest or even down the toilet if you wish. Should you try getting out of the front door, though, you'll discover it has a combination lock and the aptly named Bimbo has forgotten his combinations.\n\nI eventually found the combinations and made it outside the front door, only to be confronted by the weird wizard again, and his even weirder friends. I was invited to 'Come on down' and answer a question before I could proceed further. There's nothing to it, however, and soon I was heading for the dark trees of the Troleslaws, where three trolls named Andre, Bernard and Matthew set about eating me without further ado, or even any HP sauce. 'Boo-tiful,' they pronounced it, too.\n\nAvoiding them next time round (there's a handy RAM SAVE command), I wandered down some drab mountain paths and found a credit card, a Trusscard no less, though no Truss Savings Bank. I found Smelrond's House and the Wiffy Mountains, but when venturing into a cave I was arrested and thrown into... oh no! No, please! Not... but yes, it's the Goblins' Dungeon, tastefully decorated with the words 'Everyone woz 'ere' on the wall. This is the start of Part Two of the adventure, and you save your data from the end of one part and load it into the next (or you can travel back to an earlier part too). Having discovered nothing but sand in the dungeon, and being unable to summon anyone to help me, I thought I'd be smart and move on to Part Three. No chance! There Bimbo can't do anything and can't move in any direction. Curse you, Delta 4!\n\nThe usual humour is packed in, such as the response to GET ALL or the input of four-letter words (and you can safely BREAK WIND in this one, if you choose). There's more than a passing reference to Infocom adventures, that'll be lost on most Spectrum owners, but from what I've seen of the game so far it's got everything we've come to expect from Delta 4 and a few new tricks besides. Don't just Boggit, buy it!","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"74","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mike Gerrard","Score":"8","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"The First Bug\r\n\r\nYes, what would an adventure game be like without an early bug to be found? The first time I got killed by the exploding chocolates, with the accompanying sound effect and message, the Grim Reaper arrived to claim Bimbo and the end had come. Indeed it had, for pressing any key resulted not in the 'Do you want to continue?' message but in the exploding chocolates again, followed by the death message, followed by the exploding chocolates, followed by the death messge, followed by... you get the idea. Fortunately the BREAK key took me back to the title screen.\r\n\r\nSecond only to bugs for the eagle-eyed adventurer come the spelling mistakes. So far I've spotted 'realing' instead of 'reeling' and the occasional 'occaisonal'."}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Text","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"8/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Personal Rating","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"8/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Sinclair User Issue 53, Aug 1986","Price":"£0.98","ReleaseDate":"1986-07-18","Editor":"David Kelly","TotalPages":108,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: David Kelly\r\nDeputy Editor: John Gilbert\r\nSenior Staff Writer: Graham Taylor\r\nStaff Writers: Clare Edgeley\r\nDesigner: Gareth Jones\r\nEditorial Secretary: Norisah Fenn\r\nAdventure Writers: Gordo Greatbelly\r\nZapchat: Jon Riglar\r\nHelpline: Andrew Hewson\r\nHardware Correspondent: John Lambert\r\nContributors: Jerry Muir, Gary Rook, Tony Kendle, Richard Price, Mike Wright, Brian Cooper\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Fanthorpe\r\nSenior Sales Executive: Rory Doyle\r\nProduction Assistant: Alison Morton\r\nAdvertisement Secretary: Linda Everest\r\nSubscriptions Manager: Carl Dunne\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nTelephone [redacted]\r\n\r\nSinclair User is published monthly by EMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n\r\nCover Illustration: Lee Sullivan\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to Sinclair User please send programs or articles to:\r\nSinclair User\r\nEMAP Business & Computer Publications\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nOriginal programs should be on cassette and articles should be typed. Please write Program Printout on the envelopes of all cassettes submitted. We cannot undertake to return cassettes unless an SAE is enclosed. We pay £20 for each program printed and £50 for star programs.\r\n\r\nTypeset by Saffron Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Nene River Press, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by EMAP Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Copyright 1986 Sinclair User ISSN No 0262-5458\r\n\r\nABC 90,215 July-Dec 1985"},"MainText":"Label: CRL\r\nAuthor: Delta 4\r\nPrice: £7.95\r\nMemory: 48K/128K\r\nReviewer: Richard Price\r\n\r\n\"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard the Executive Suite of this giant TWA eagle.\r\n\r\n\"We'll be flying through nauseating turbulence and at varying heights above the devastated landscape of Muddle Earth. If you feel well enough you can look down and see the hovels of Bogginton, the prefabricated Halls of Rivendull and the foothills of the Wiffy Mountains.\r\n\r\n\"We hope you enjoy the flight - you'll find the sick bags underneath the Eagle's tail feathers...\"\r\n\r\nBimbo of course is the star - if that's the right word - of Delta 4's The Boggit, the latest bad-taste epic from the team who brought you fear and loathing in Bored of the Rings.\r\n\r\nUndaunted by public health warnings and threats of legal action, Fergus McNeil and his crew have produced a new three-parter that's almost, but not quite, entirely unlike a certain other game about dragons and small creatures with hairy feet.\r\n\r\nHow like that Other Game it is will become quickly obvious when you load up and see the first screen. There's the familiar boggit-hovel with its little green door, though the little green toilet may come as a bit of a shock to the faint-hearted.\r\n\r\nHow unlike that other game it is you'll discover as soon as that old charlatan Grandalf appears, as fond of a bit of firework fun as ever. In he leaps, breaking the window, to drop off a box of exploding chocolates for the unwary Bimbo - all to the tune of the Milk Tray advert.\r\n\r\nTerror-stricken, you may well try to get out of the boggit-hole as fast as you can. Sorry... the door's got a combination lock on it. Until you explore the hole thoroughly, you'll never find a way out and risk dying either from hunger of from the exploding sweeties.\r\n\r\nOnce escaped... well, I'll pass over the meeting with Thorny the Dwarf and his ultra-violent comrades and the infamous The Price is Right sequence. Suffice to say that good old Grandalf is the possessor of Drain the Dwarfs map of Daug's den, filched from the demented dwarf whilst he was an in-patient at the necromancer's lunatic asylum. After an acrimonious dispute between Grandalf and Thorny they make it clear to Bimbo that he's the one who's going to risk repeated meetings with the Grim Reaper in his quest for Daug's treasure.\r\n\r\nIn your trip through Wilberland and Berkwood you'll run into many familiar scenes, like the trolls' clearing, Smelrond's prefabs at Rivendull. even the Goblin's Dungeon and the fearsome spiders of Berkwood. Bored may have been a gas but The Boggit is much slicker. Much more to do, much more to read.\r\n\r\nLike Delta 4's earlier effort it's a trilogy written on The Quill, this time with Patched graphics and a format which will let you return back to Boggiton in Part One after you've defeated Daug in Part Three. After all, you've got to get that stolen loot into the chest to win.\r\n\r\nYou simply load in your saved positions and retrace your steps back through the first two parts.\r\n\r\nAs usual with Delta 4, it's the zany humour and irreverence that turns this game from just another spoof into an inevitably classic piece of tomfoolery.\r\n\r\nApart from the daft descriptions, absurdly parodising the 'heroic' computer adventure, there are the equally silly responses : \"Exam sword: the sword was plain save for 'He-Man' written on the blade\".\r\n\r\nOr this when two old friends meet. 'Hi Smelly'smiled Grandalf. 'Up yours, dragonbreath' retorted Smelrond lovingly!\"\r\n\r\nOr the score, given in a currency which Elite players might prefer to exchange for something a little more useful: \"For your attempts you are worth 76 Lenslok devices.\" Aren't you shuddering?\r\n\r\nThe descriptions themselves, often quite lengthy, veer from the odd to the odder and are often accompanied by further reams of repartee. Try this - \"He woke to the sound of Grandalf announcing something:'... lucky contestant Bimbo Faggins, COME ON DOWN!' Aided and abetted by the dwarfs, Bimbo came on down. 'Bimbo Faggins, we have here a 14th share of Thorny's dwarvish treasure. How much do you think it's worth?' \"Such horror and you're still only in the second location!\r\n\r\nThen there are the objects, many of them as bizarrely out of place as the messages - the credit card to buy your duty free on the small boat, the nylon clothes-line that doubles as a rope, or the poisoned marmalade sandwich, the purpose of which may be revealed if you look carefully around Smelrond's unwholesome base. As usual you can carry vast quantities of rubbish around with you and it's a great joy to rummage through the ever-accumulating pile for something that might just be useful to get out of the particular hole you're currently stuck in.\r\n\r\nThere are diversions - in Part Two you can, by entering the right requests, transport yourself to other realms, far distant in time and space. You'll probably have little trouble in finding the password if you're familiar with Delta's other masterpieces.\r\n\r\nThe problems and puzzles, although, they sometimes seem incidental to the wealth of foolery in the storyline, are still cunning. You have to pay very close attention to the text messages to work them out and, even then, many are still not at all obvious. Official help is rarely available but the clues are all there. Don't skip bits of text in your over confidence.\r\n\r\nKnowledge of The H****t may well come in useful but please don't assume you'll skip through The Boggit just because you knew how to get out of the Goblin's Dungeon. You'll be brought up time and again by some twist of bizarre alternative reality.\r\n\r\nI'm not ashamed to admit that I adore Delta 4's craziness. Not everyone will go for this sort of humour, but who cares?\r\n\r\nIf you enjoyed Bored you'll be just as pleased with The Boggit.\r\n\r\nIt's just as funny and sick as its predecessor but is better presented and a whole lot snappier.\r\n\r\nIt's miles better than the game it lampoons too.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Wonderful spoof of that Other Game. A triumph of insanity over logic with delightfully snappy humour.","Page":"76,77","Denied":false,"Award":"Sinclair User Classic","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Richard Price","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"GR, one of Bimbo's closest companions on the journey. He's always willing to give the boggit a shove in the right direction. You'll encounter his cheery wave time and again as you travel."},{"Text":"One of the most well-known prisons in microadventuring. Getting out of here may be dead easy if you've got a rope handy. Only problem is, you keep getting chucked back in- side. If you're still in the dark, do some digging."},{"Text":"The crawly horrors of Berkwood beset you! After the duty-free crossing of the forest river, things get mean and nasty. This place is real trouble. Even if you do know how to bump off the spider."},{"Text":"Travelling in style. Bimbo is carried to the next phase of his adventure. The extra-cushioned talons and special inverted posture make for a comfortable trip. I wish they all could be Caledonian eagles."},{"Text":"Here be Goldbum. Muddle Earth's answer to Magnus Magnusson. Poor old Bimbo doesn't know many things anyway. And the airspeed of a fully-laden Nazul is definitely not one of them."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 59, Sep 1986","Price":"£0.98","ReleaseDate":"1986-08-16","Editor":"Tim Metcalfe","TotalPages":108,"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, Jim Douglas\r\nAmerican Correspondent: Marshall M. Rosenthal\r\nArcades: Clare Edgeley\r\nSoftware Consultant: Tony Takoushi, Chris Cain\r\nPublicity: Marcus Rich\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Louise Matthews\r\nAssistant Ad Manager: Chubby Williams\r\nAd Production: Debbie Pearson\r\nPublisher: Rita Lewis\r\nCover: Jerry Paris\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\nJuly-December 98,258"},"MainText":"SUPPLIER: Delta 4\r\nMACHINE: Spectrum 48K, Commodore 64, Amstrad\r\nPRICE: £7.95\r\n\r\nBoggit is to Hobbit what Very Big Cave is to Colossal Caves, but even less respectable.\r\n\r\nStarting off in your tunnel-like burrow, before you can get very far, Grandalf crashes in, straight through the closed window, and deposits a box of exploding chocolates at your feet.\r\n\r\nDealing with this problem is not too difficult, and before long you are on your way - if you can get a word in edgeways!\r\n\r\nThe action is frequently interrupted with screenfuls of humorous narrative, in which, among other things, you are asked to \"Come on down!\" and guess the value of one fourteenth of Thorny's treasure.\r\n\r\nAs well as the round green door in the tunnel, there is a round green toilet, and this is the first toilet I've come across in an adventure that can actually be used for the purpose for which it was made.\r\n\r\nScott Adams was responsible for two flushable toilets, one in The Count, the other in Pyramid. The latter manifested itself as a throne, on which sat a formidable iron statue. Chain-pulling was necessary to find a hidden exit. Telarium's Perry Mason and this month's Beer Hunter (see review) are among the more recent toilets to have featured in an adventure.\r\n\r\nBut here at last is the first functional toilet to accept a couple of plain English commands in four letters, beginning with an S or a C. From its murky depths it disgorges an ugly monster, to bite the unsuspecting adventurer in a most tender place before disappearing again with a gurgling sound!\r\n\r\nYour journey, in the company of Thorny and Grandalf, takes you towards Rivendull, after a brush with some trolls who in real life, figured in some of Fergus McNeill's less happy business dealings.\r\n\r\nA visit to Beorn's house offers up some marmalade sandwiches, whilst if you call in on Smelrond, you will probably catch him in the act. Looking up from a tall elf, he will generously give you a packed lunch, which may prove a whole lot more nutritious than Beorn's feast.\r\n\r\nEventually you find yourself in a Goblin's dungeon, complete with high window. If you are lucky, a little upper-level-dungeon cleaner robot will appear, and reveal a bluish trapdoor...\r\n\r\nBoggit comes in three parts, and a tape save must be made to pass between them. Being given the option to move on does not necessarily mean you have the wherewithall to succeed in the next part. There is a RAM SAVE option which can be used locally in each part.\r\n\r\nGraphics are pleasing and effective, neatly edged with a couple of swords rampant, and not forced upon the player at every location.\r\n\r\nBoggit shows a surer touch, and greater confidence in approach, than its predecessor Bored. Some of the jokes are quite subtle, and the text has occasionally to be read a second time, to check whether it really means what you thought it meant, or if it is just your twisted mind at work!\r\n\r\nAs a bonus, there is a 'freebie' program included on the tape. Sceptical II, is a 200 page Ceefax lookalike, bringing you inside information on the Delta 4 crowd.\r\n\r\nIf you've met them, I have, you'll realise that the names dropped are all real people. It gives you the lowdown on all the village scandal.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"63","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Keith Campbell","Score":"9","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Vocabulary","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Atmosphere","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Personal","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Computer Issue 9, Sep 1986","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1986-08-21","Editor":"Gary Evans","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Gary Evans\r\nSoftware Editor: Francis Jago\r\nStaff Writer: Anthony Thompson\r\nSub Editor: Harold Mayes MBE\r\nProduction Editor: Jim McClure\r\nProduction Assistant: Nick Fry\r\nEditorial Secretary: Sheila Baker\r\nDesigner: Chris Winch\r\nEditorial: [redacted]\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: David Lake\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Ian Faux\r\nClassified: Paul Monaf\r\nAdvertising: [redacted]\r\nPublisher: Paul Coster\r\nFinancial Director: Brendan McGrath\r\nManaging Director: Richard Hease\r\n\r\nYour Computer, [redacted]\r\nISS 0263 0885\r\n\r\n©1986 Focus Investments Ltd\r\nPrinted by The Riverside Press Ltd, England.\r\nTypeset by Time Graphics Ltd, [redacted]\r\nMember of the Audit Bureau of Circulation.\r\n\r\nReasonable care is taken to avoid errors in this magazine but no liability is accepted for any errors which may occur. No material in this publication may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of the publishers. The publishers will not accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, listings, data tapes or discs.\r\n\r\nWe will assume permission to publish all unsolicited material unless otherwise stated. We cannot be held responsible for the safe return of any material submitted for publication. Please keep a copy of all your work and do not send us original artwork.\r\n\r\nUnfortunately we are unable to answer lengthy enquiries by telephone. Any written query requiring a personal answer MUST be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope; please allow up to 28 days for a reply.\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: UK £15 for 12 issues. Overseas (surface mail) £25 - airmail rates on request. Please make a cheque/postal orders payable to Focus Investments (allow 5 weeks from order receipt of first subscription copy). Send orders to Your Computer Subscriptions, [redacted].\r\n\r\nBack issues of the magazine from January onwards are available for £1.50 (UK), £3 (Overseas) from the Back Issues Department, [redacted].\r\n\r\nDistributed by Business Press International, [redacted]."},"MainText":"CBM64/Amstrad 6128/Spectrum 48K\r\nCRL Group plc\r\nAdventure\r\n£7.95\r\n\r\nWith the imminent re-release of The Hobbit it seems only natural that Fergus McNeil and Co, those masters of the spoof clone, should release The Boggit. Once again McNeil puts his tongue firmly in his cheek and takes the mickey out of an established adventure but, as Kenny Everett would say, \"all in the best possible taste\".\r\n\r\nFor anybody who has neither read nor played The Hobbit, briefly the plot centres on Bilbo's attempts to travel across Middle Earth accompanied by Thorin, who tends to be a pain at times. His task is to find and defeat Smaug the Dragon, then return home safely with Smaug's treasure. What McNeil and co-writer Judith Childs have done is to take the original idea and then weave their inimitable brand of humour into it - and a very funny romp it is.\r\n\r\nFrom the moment Grandalf crashes through your front-room window, Tarzan-like, the adventure starts to bubble. Your first problem is to get out of your front room. Once having accomplished that, it is off to visit the Trolls Clearing and have fun with Bernard and Matthew, the most unlikely trolls I have ever had the misfortune to meet, especially when they start to mutter such gems as \"He'd look lovely in my crispy batter\" or \"Bootiful\" and guess who they would like to see in the crispy batter?\r\n\r\nText descriptions are more than adequate and the graphics are instant and well-defined. One thing which I thought stood out in the game was the fact that the programmers seem to have looked for a long time at the establishment and adventurers in general and do not miss a trick in taking a large swipe at it - even TV games shows are included. Does \"Come on down\" ring any bells? In saying that, it is not meant as criticism, merely an observation; adventures should be fun to play and with the likes of Delta 4 on the scene, I can see sacred cows of adventuring slowly being tossed aside.\r\n\r\nMy one fear is that with so many clone-type adventures becoming available, it could lead to a general decline in original games. Let us hope that Delta 4 now moves to something of more original content because, when all is said and done, that is what adventuring is about.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"60,61","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ian Nicol","Score":"5","ScoreSuffix":"/5"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"3/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Sound","Score":"3/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"4/5","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"5/5","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 30, Oct 1986","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1986-09-25","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: Lynn Collis\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":"C.R.L.\r\n£7.95\r\n\r\nNo matter what the publicity says, The Boggit is a direct spoof of Melbourne House's game as much as Tolkien's book. Or is it a rip-off? It's a thin line between the two which author Fergus McNeil doesn't always walk successfully, certain problems being identical. That said, The Boggit is one of the best adventures I've reviewed this year.\r\n\r\nThe sheer daftness of the humour is what appealed to many people about McNeil's previous mainstream releases like Bored Of The Rings, and devotees will be pleased to know the same zaniness occurs here. At the start Bimbo Faggins has secured himself in his hole; determined to avoid any of those increasingly popular adventures. Before long, meddling old Grandalf crashes through a window, deposits a message with a self destruction box of chocolates and swiftly exits, all to the tune of the Milk Tray ads. When you eventually leave your home you are battered by Thorny and a bunch of dwarves into participating in Grandalf's peculiar version of 'The Price is Right'.\r\n\r\nSoon the dwarves sing a charming song about how they're taking you (who they call \"lardball\" and 'Cement head\") along on their mission (which I hardly need detail) so the dragon will eat you instead of them. Later you'll encounter the highly dubious Smelrond, the River Anadin (\"great torrents of soluble pain relief roared quietly by') and my personal favourites, the spiders who bob around \"most convincingly\" on elastic bands. Perhaps unsurprisingly, lavatories also feature strongly. The humour isn't to everyone's taste - I didn't find it hilarious - but there should be something to make most people smile.\r\n\r\nVocabulary is mostly friendly, with the exception of the word CLIMB, which is often used instead of ENTER, eg., CLIMB INTO CHEST. The ever useful RAM SAVE/LOAD option is included.\r\n\r\nThe split screen graphics are all extremely attractive; with the exception of Adventure International's, I'd say they're the best I've seen. Many of them are close copies of Melbourne House's, and somehow manage to be both uncannily accurate and an improvement on the original.\r\n\r\nThere's more text than in the original too, with quite long, usually witty, location descriptions, verbose messages. Some events are described by several pages of text. The game is not always as responsive as I would have liked, but EXAMINE is usually productive and you're allowed to do plenty of irrelevant actions. Another nice feature is the characters who wander round in convincingly independent style; there's a clever TALK routine too. And yes, Thorny does sit down and sing about gold - though his song is somewhat cruder in this game.\r\n\r\nThere's lots to see but not that much to do in the way of actual problems. There's one real stumper close to the start, otherwise it's fairly logical. You must pay close attention to everything you're told though.\r\n\r\nThis game has virtually all the features I expect from an adventure, and shows how powerful The Quill utilities con be. Because there's so much, the game is in three parts; you can move freely between them reloading SAVED positions. A little inconvenient but far better than having less game.\r\n\r\nThere are a few bugs and the game is no masterpiece; but despite its faults The Boggit is an extremely enjoyable and professional adventure.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"89","Denied":false,"Award":"ZX Monster Hit","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Peter Sweasy","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue Annual 2018,  2018","Price":"£15","ReleaseDate":"2018-01-01","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":122,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":""},"MainText":"As the Crash annuals are still for sale ZXSR has taken the decision to remove all review text, apart from reviewer names and scores from the database. A backup has been taken of the review text which is stored offsite.  The review text will not be included without the express permission of the Annuals editorial team/owners.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"62","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ryan Coleman","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Chris Wilkins","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]