Clean up the city
While it's easy to dismiss Grime as just another variant on the classic template laid down by Centipede, it's actually got enough clever gameplay mechanics to warrant some further investigation for fans of high-score chasing arcade games. The setup is ever so slightly different from usual, and sees a deadly mould emerging from a swamp to threaten the peaceful town of Spudville. It falls to the player to leap boldly into their Herbmobile and destroy the mould before it can destroy everything that lies in its way. The gameplay requires that you move your little vehicle around the screen, taking out the fungus as it spreads. In contrast to other similar games, you can move at will, and have the ability to fire in all four directions, while a handy auto-fire feature is also included if you're really struggling. There's little to the game beyond taking down wave after wave of fungus so if you're after a strong narrative, look elsewhere. However, if you're more interested in racking up the points, then this is a good bet and shares much of the same kind of appeal as arcade classics like Pacman and Galaxian. Visually, this is pretty simplistic stuff, with the fungus resembling little more than a pile of blocks but this isn't really a major drawback, as everything else works well enough that you forget about the lack of graphical flash. The controls are nice and responsive, which is perhaps more important than graphics anyway, and the gameplay is simple but compelling, so if you're looking for a bit of retro arcade action, take a look at Grime.
