DESCRIPTION

A unique translation of the immortal arcade classic, Q*Bert for the Odyssey 2 is one of four games released by Parker Brothers, mainly in Europe and South America. The game itself is a surprisingly faithful rendition of the original within the Odyssey 2's unique graphic and memory limitations. The cubes have become flat rectangles, and the flying discs are slightly smaller rectangles. However, there are some atypical custom-drawn characters — namely Q*Bert himself and a somewhat anemic-looking Coily the Snake — which actually look like the arcade characters. The sound suffers a bit, reduced to bleeps and blips, and control of the game is a bit sticky, especially when it needs to be faster in later levels, which can detract from the enjoyment factor for seasoned players. Unlike the Atari 2600 edition, players are not required to rotate their joysticks 45 degrees, and also unlike the Atari 2600 version, this port of Q*Bert actually features the "level intro" screens which demonstrate which steps players will need to take to clear the next level. Considering what the programmers had to work with, though, it's not a bad attempt — and at least until the game becomes too fast to control adequately, it's quite a bit of fun. ~ Earl Green, All Game Guide