[{"TitleName":"Buriabeast","Publisher":"Kerian UK Ltd","Author":"Matthew Dowell","YearOfRelease":"1984","ZxDbId":"0000768","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 7, Aug 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-07-26","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":112,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nProduction Designer: David Western\r\nArt Editor: Oliver Frey\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStaff Writer: Lloyd Mangram\r\nContributing Writers: Matthew Uffindel, Chris Passey\r\nClient Liaison: John Edwards\r\nSubscription Manager: Denise Roberts\r\n\r\nTelephone numbers\r\nGeneral office [redacted]\r\nEditorial/studio [redacted]\r\nAdvertising [redacted]\r\n\r\nHot Line [redacted]\r\n\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nGeneral correspondence to: [redacted]\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Limited.\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nPhotosetting by SIOS [redacted]\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset Ltd (Member of the BPCC Group), [redacted].\r\nDistribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post free)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post free).\r\n\r\nWe cannot undertake to return any written or photographic material sent to CRASH MICRO unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope.\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Kerian UK\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £5.50\r\nLanguage: Machine code\r\nAuthor: Matthew Dowell\r\n\r\nBuriabeast is described as introducing a new plateau in graphics and sound. What the insert doesn't tell you is that this is a straightforward 'Panic' type game, and with the amount of versions available already, you could say the game type plateaued out a tong while ago. You are the sole surviving member of the human race and it has fallen to you to defend the world from hordes of marauding mutant KENS (as in 'D'ye Ken John Peel') and your only tool is a shovel. Quite honestly, if I was the sole surviving member of the human race, I think I would leave the world to the marauding Kens.\r\n\r\nThus described, the game is quite traditional - five platforms, several ladders of varying lengths, holes to be dug or filled to trap monsters which, if they escape from a trap, get more vicious. The novel feature is the Buriabeast (is he a Ken or not?) - a man-sized blue monster who has to fall through three holes to die. The game is played against a falling oxygen level.\r\n\r\nCOMMENTS\r\n\r\nControl keys: Q/A up/down, O/P left/right, D/F dig/ fill\r\nJoystick: none\r\nKeyboard play: responsive\r\nUse of colour: average\r\nGraphics: average\r\nSound: above average with good tunes\r\nSkill levels: 3 speeds\r\nLives: 3\r\nOriginality: hardly any (close to original)","ReviewerComments":["The graphics are quite colourful and detailed, especially the beast himself. I think this is also the first 'Panic' I have seen where you can dig holes right beside ladders - indeed, even on top of them. The monsters are quite intelligent, although the higher level monsters almost always oblige by falling into your holes. The tunes are quite good. Graphics move by the block and are quite small except for the man and the beast, both of which move well. Overall a fairly neat 'Panic' type game, but still not the best on the market.\r\r\nUnknown","l seriously doubt the wisdom of anyone bringing out yet another 'Panic' game, when there are already so many on the market. As to the new plateau in sound and graphics - well the tunes are quite nice but nothing special, and the same can be said of the graphics. Your man moves quite well, and has a nice touch - when he jumps through a hole, he bends his legs quite realistically on landing. When you lose a life you reappear immediately at a random position on the base platform, usually away from the monsters - no time to relax! By no means the worst, nor the best 'Panic' game for the Spectrum.\r\r\nUnknown","I think it's a bit late in the day to bring out yet another version of this ancient arcade game, unless, of course, it's spectacular. Buriabeast isn't really spectacular in content, graphics or sound. That said, its a perfectly playable 'Panic', and if you haven't got one and want one, then this is probably as good a buy as most.\r\nUnknown"],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: An average 'Panic' game.","Page":"37","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Unknown","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Don't panic whatever you do, and keep a sharp eye out for the Buriabeast."}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Use of Computer","Score":"58%","Text":""},{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"56%","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"59%","Text":""},{"Header":"Getting Started","Score":"48%","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictive Qualities","Score":"52%","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"50%","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"54%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]