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Classification: Game / Puzzle Publisher: RK Soft Programmer: Roland Music/Sound: Roland Year: 2018 Rating: ★★★★☆ Disk: Magic Blocks

Here's a challenging little puzzle game for your C128 (also available for the C16/C116 and Plus/4), where you have to strategically remove and place “magic blocks” to collect the objects and the key that unlocks the door to the next level. You collect the bubbles (or discs, or coins, or what ever they are) for points, and you must collect the key in order to unlock the door to the next level. However, keep an eye on the timer. If you run out of time, you lose a life and start all over from the beginning.

You control the little magician Archimedes with the joystick. You press the fire button to collect blocks, one at a time. Then, use the fire button again to place the blocks in arrangements that allow you to climb and reach the different areas of the room. Blocks can be placed anywhere, one space left or right of the space your standing in, as long as there's nothing else occupying the same space.

You can jump upwards one space, and if you press the fire button at the right moment, you can place a block in mid-air. You can also remove a block above you in the same manner; just jump up and press the fire button at the right moment. So, you have to apply some strategy to place the blocks in the correct configuration to reach certain areas of the screen.

One thing to note here is that when you jump up, unless you're placing or removing a block, Archimedes will move forward one step in the direction he's facing. So, if you want to jump up onto the block to your right, all you need to do is face right and press up. If you press up and then right, you will walk off the block and fall down.

The first few levels are easy enough, but the later levels take some thinking to get to the key and the door before the timer runs out. There doesn't seem to be any requirement on the number of items you need to collect, you just need to get to the door in time. The game has sixteen levels to challenge your problem-solving skills.

There's no in-game music and the sound effects are pretty sparse. But, it's a game focused on the puzzle solving, so I suppose not having music isn't that big of a deal. The graphics are colourful, yet simple. The game controls are effective, but I find them to have a bit of a lag. I find myself having to pause between each movement, or I wind up falling off the blocks/platforms.

Overall, this is a nice little puzzle game for the C128. It just goes to show that the C128 is a very capable gaming machine, it just was overlooked by the industry.

magicblocks.ogv

Composed on my C128 using ArcheType.