Clever and inventive Boulderdash-style puzzler
The classic arcade game Boulderdash has inspired countless clones, rip-offs and remakes thanks to its simply but enduringly addictive gameplay. Supaplex is one of those games that has been heavily inspired by the original but which adds in several new elements to create an enjoyable twist on the legend. The gameplay is largely similar, but replaces Boulderdash's dirt- and rock-based environments with computer chips, circuit boards and other such technical elements, and with the objective still being to make your way through a series of 2D levels, collecting items and avoiding the various nasties that roam around. The new additions include gravity, objects which limit the player's movement and explosive disks that can help or hinder the player depending on how they are used. There are over 100 levels of puzzling arcade action on display here, and while the early levels are straightforward enough, the difficulty soon cranks up and things become highly challenging. Fortunately however, Supaplex is a very fair game and this difficulty never becomes frustrating, and instead provides a highly addictive little puzzler for fans of Bubble Bobble, Digdug and the like. The graphics are of course simple, but this is not a problem, while the various additions to the core Boulderdash gameplay change things around enough to make sure this is not simply a cut-and-past copy, as is so often the case. Levels are cunningly designed and will really test your skills, so if you are looking for a maddeningly addictive little game, then this is the perfect choice.
