Charlie Blast's Territory

Blowing things up. With bombs. Repeatedly. Oh, what fun... The life of a demolition expert is not a happy one, if we're to believe the tale of Charlie Blast. Apart from the obligatory dirty vest, hard hat and workman's crack, there's not only the fiendish puzzles set by the Evil King of Industry to overcome, but the fact that your girlie is a Rainbow Fairy. If this is true, you've got to think that someone's been on the special mushrooms again...

Now, those of you aged 20 and over may remember a game way back on the Amiga called Bomboozal where you moved a little blue man around, pushing bombs to make the level blow up. If you fit into this category, don't panic – it really is déjà vu you're sensing. You see, Charlie Blast's Territory is practically the same game, except without the strange blue version of Mr Blobby to move around.

The object of the game is simple enough – as Charlie Blast, you have to move the bombs around within a level so that when you set off the detonator, they all go off in sequence and destroy the level. The reason why you've got to blow everything up is unclear, but it certainly isn't an easy task, that's for sure. The earlier levels might be a piece of cake, but if brain-teasers aren't your bag (baby) then you might get really frustrated very quickly.

Boom, Boom, Boom

The problem with Charlie Blast's Territory is that, as a puzzle game, it's ultimately flawed. Fair enough, it's one of those games that you might hate at first but grow to enjoy as you get into it, but that doesn't stop it from having faults. Take, for example, the whole 'learning curve' idea. Whereas usually you'd find that a game such as this gets harder as it goes along, Charlie Blast just doesn't agree – while some of the levels early on take hundreds of attempts, you can cruise through some of the later ones without even thinking.

And then there's the problem that each level is against the clock. Normally, this would mean that if you fail to complete a level in the time given, you'd fail and have to try again – fair enough. This would be okay if it wasn't for the fact that when you pause the game, the clock stops and yet you can still pan around the level working out which bombs to move and where to move them. Many people might think this is a plus point, but in a puzzle game where long-lasting challenge is the key, it's just another crack in its surface.

There are other special blocks and bombs not found in the puzzle mode that can be used to thwart your opponents' advances, and although it's a little tricky to play at first, there's certainly loads of fun to be had in beating your friends down here.

That said, however, it's not enough to stop Charlie Blast from being a disappointing experience. Once you've completed a level (particularly the tougher ones) there's absolutely no incentive to go back and play them again, which is often the problem with puzzle games. Mad brain-teaser nuts might get some sense of satisfaction out of it and the multi-player mode is quite fun but to be frank, this isn't a game you want to be rushing out and buying in a hurry. Sorry folks.

Bomb Da Bass

But one of the saving graces in Charlie Blast is the innovative four-player mode. Rather than being a direct clone of Bomberman as it might have been, you have to move your character around the level claiming 'territory' from the other players. Each person has their own home space where bombs are generated, and these can be blown up with detonators to colour the surrounding areas in your home colour.

It's probably BEST tosteer clear of Charlie Blast's Territory. This otherwise unique puzzle game is severely plagued by deficient music, average graphics, and slow gameplay.

In CBT, you must blow up islands by creating a chain reaction of explosions. Players must make Charlie push rocks out of the way in order to place dynamite of varying intensities.

This may sound easy, but the challenge increases with every level. Unfortunately, you must also endure the sterile music and the frustrating controls. Both the analog and digital controls are maddeningly sensitive and often cause Charlie to inadvertently move something. The graphics are colorful, but after a while, the sights become as repetitive as the gameplay.

Charlie Blasts Territory offers gamers a decent challenge, but it's just too slow. The multiplayer games provide some salvation as you try to blow up your friends, but Bomberman this ain't! Gamers wanting explosive action should look elsewhere.

Cross a bit of Bomber-man with a drop of Wetrix and you'll get Charlie Blast's Challenge, Kemco's new puzzler for the N64. As Demolition Expert First Class Charlie you'll have to figure out how to destroy the dams constructed in Rainbow Valley Lake and its rivers by the evil King of Industry. Multiplayer mode calls for an even more complex strategy. This blast-packed game spans five worlds for a total of 60 puzzles.