FREAKIN' FUNKY FUZZBALLS

 Any game with a name like FREAKIN' FUNKY FUZZBALLS better be darn cute. Well,
this one certainly lives up to those expectations, and perhaps a few more as
well. FREAKIN' FUNKY FUZZBALLS (FFF) is an arcade game for the entire family,
easy enough for children and challenging enough for most adult players. (This
review is based on the IBM version.)

 In FFF, you are the title character. The main screen offers an overhead view
of the game board, rectangles arranged in an 11 by 12 grid. You walk around
over the "tiles," which change color once stepped on. Walking over some
reveals objects underneath, including food, magic rings, wands, keys, and
doors. Higher levels reveal a greater assortment of goodies, ranging from
shields and armor to magic spells, potions, elevators, teleporters, and even
dynamite. Once you've grabbed an object, you can't step where the tile once
was. Other tiles disappear after they've been stepped on more than once,
further limiting the places you can go. Each tile you step on adds points to
your score, and you can collect an extra bonus if you've gathered all the
available objects on each level. As the levels increase, some of the tiles
are blacked out from the start, making it harder to manuever.

 You can "leap" over empty spaces if you've got a magic wand, and you can
enter a gate to the next level once you've gathered the required number of
keys. At the start of each level, you'll be told how many keys you'll need to
collect in order to enter the gate.

 While you're running from tile to tile, you're pursued by an enemy,
appropriately called "the Enemy." If the Enemy touches you, some of your
strength is sapped (it can be restored by finding food). The game is over
once your strength hits zero. The Enemy competes with you for magic wands,
which often become essential for completing a level. If you're not careful,
you may find yourself literally in the middle of nowhere; without a wand to
allow you to jump over the void, the game is over.

 If you're good enough, Fuzzball (and you) will eventually travel through
five "worlds": Ancient Times, Funky Gardens, Modern Day, Future Space, and
"Darkness!" Each level features different objects to collect, and different
challenges.

 FFF offers single-player mode and two different flavors of two-player modes.
Each player can take turns controlling the fuzzball, or two can compete
simultaneously -- one controlling the fuzzball, the other controlling the
enemy.

 The IBM version of FFF arrives packed with two 5-1/4" diskettes and a single
3-1/2" diskette, either of which can be installed on your hard disk. Copy
protection is provided via an "eye exam" (quite literally, as you'll have to
match up the position of the fuzzball's eyes and the number of objects
onscreen against a provided "eye-chart," which has tiny black letters against
a dark brown background).

 You can play the CGA version of FFF with just 384K of RAM, the EGA version
with 512K, or a full 640K for the VGA version. Cartoon-style graphics are
pleasant throughout. You can choose to play with either the keyboard or a
joystick (the keyboard is more than adequate). There is support for the Ad
Lib and Roland MT32 sound boards.

 FFF has two skill levels, and even has a Boss Key, for those who get so
addicted (a distinct possibility!) that they bring a copy in to work.

 With all of the different objects, levels, and worlds to visit, FREAKIN'
FUNKY FUZZBALLS provides hours of fun for the entire family...even if no one
in your house happens to be either freaky or especially funky.

 FREAKIN' FUNKY FUZZBALLS is published and distributed by Sir-Tech Software.