I'm not going to waste time with this review describing the plot as if Team 17 couldn't be bothered come up with one, why should I? The game is an 80 level platform game for one or two players simultaneously and you, have to collect a number of keys on each screen and then leave through the exit to the next level.
Sounds simple? Well it would be if it wasn't for one thing -- the screen is swarming with all sorts of creatures out to defend the keys from your little (sickeningly cute) duck! However, help is at hand and you have a limited number of eggs that you can throw at these nasty pieces of work (extra eggs can be collected during the game by picking up fruit and other goodies), but that only leaves collapsing platforms, spike balls falling from the ceiling and all manner of other hazzards...
The game is broken up into 8 worlds, each comprising of several screens. At the end of each world, you are faced with a guardian screen with generally bigger and meaner creatures out to get you and bigger and better bonuses. After each level is completed, there is a short pause while the new graphics load in and you move onto the next level, each with it's own distinct graphic theme. My favourite so far has to be the third stage in winter with igloos, snowmen and lots of fluffy white snow falling from the sky! The only problem on this level is that your duck has a tendency to slide around on the ice a bit, making him that bit harder to control!
Anyone who has ever played Bubble Bobble will be immediately familiar with the gameplay and will soon find themselves at home, blasting all sorts of creatures and trying to fight your way to the exits on each level.
Graphically, while not up to the usual standard you'd come to expect from a Team 17 game, Qwak still has it's charms and certainly manages to convey a general feeling of overall cuteness! Still, some of the effects, such as the aforementioned snow level, have to be seen to be believed.
One disappointment was the sound. Bjorn Lynne, as you can hear from the music on this issue, is a very good musician, but the pieces in Qwak seem to be a little flat and lifeless. They're not bad, but technically nothing special. Nice, but you won't be humming these!
Still, that's not the important thing and what counts is playability and Qwak has more than it's fair share of that. This is easily one of the most addictive, playable games I have seen this year. It has that special quality that makes you want to continue to strive to complete just one more screen before you reset your Amiga, and to release it a budget price deserves congratulations.
Team 17 could have easily charged full price for this, and at £25 the game would have earned itself a Silver Medal without hesitation. At this price however, anything short of Gold would have been an insult. Simply brilliant.
