SCREENPLAY

The Lemm 's drop i nto deadly danger . Those three pill ars wou ld be no prob l em if you had three ba shers. However , you only get two and have to make do with a miner to dig down diagonally . Hurry and get that bridge going though , here comes the c rowd ! If it ai n't fin is hed in time the l emm 's will be l Oh no!

h no1 The lemmings O are dropping into deadly danger! Only you can give the necessary instructionsto save their little lives and guide them to the safety of a Psygnosis • £24.99 Mouse

Th is one 's a poser. Do you go over under or through? We ll bashing the pillar s see m s to work , but it is the bridges that will see t he green folk to safety. An easy l eve l this one . It 's Is matter of timing rather than mental dexterity . Y ou also have to save 99% of the 100 starte rs. Best of lu ck ! cliff.free zone. Are you up to giving feasible to shepherd the bumbling a level full of ravinesit's a safe bet obJect- either a wall or a blocker lemmingaid 1 bunch to safety. A menu bar below that there's one too few bridge· - or 1ft hey run out of floor. Once Each level begins with a huge the game's screenoffers a number buildingcommands to straddle the past such a peak. the little lemm's trap-door creaking open, then of icon options. Through 1t, any gap. So cunning plans are the can only survive a short fall. If the down tumble a herd of dungaree­ lemmingcan be changedfrom -~o rder of the day to ensure clad, green-haired lemmings.Being a standard 'runner' into enough - a percentage of folk of little brain, and left to their 'do'er', by selecting a lemmings must be own devices the little lemm's do task icon, then clicking saved on each level - what they do best: die! Why? on a specific individual. .,--., ~1 iemm's reach safety. Because those cruel people at Lemm's can dig, build, bash, Psygnos1s have crammed each climb and tunnel. They can un away level with dangers that are even use parasol parachutes In their way are chasms absolutely guaranteed to kill the when presented with the that must be spanned, terminallystupid. 1elemmings. kind of cliff-drop that has made hills that have to be tunnelled them famous. through and fatal falls that must be Doin th< d The road to sanctuary,t hough, guarded by suicide-blockers.Once distanceis too great for them they The lemm's can only be saved 1f 1snever smooth; pot-holedby one they are down they start running sickeningly splat in a shower of you take control. By giving lemm's simple fact: there are never and will continue to charge in the lemmingdrops. certain tasks to do it's, just about, enoughof the right commands!On same direction until they hit a solid Embroiled 1n a frantic race against time, you have to juggle blockers, bashers and floaters as well as the main herd. Taxing and tense 1t makes for 1ncred1ble gaming. Succeedand your grin will shamea Cheshirecat, fail and you haveto try again. Lemmings thrives on panic, lateral thinking and accurate mouse work. As commands are clicked directly on the lemm's, accuracygets tough when the little beggars bunch up. And one mis· taken mouse chck can cost the whole herd their lives. The frantic high-speedthinking 1s underpinnedwith the tension of timing. The best exampleof this is waiting for bridge-buildersto span a gulf. Each command only lasts for ten small bricks, after these are laid the lemm' reverts back to nor· Th e blocker on the right of t he h ill is set t o explo d e (o n e second left on the countdown) . However the dis· astrous run Is continuing as most of the lemmings are trapped wi th a downward digger. One miner has t he mal and runs onwards. Fine 1f rig ht Idea a nd he Is on his own now . Time for ma ss suicide , hit the mushroom ico n twice to quit this level . they've bridged the gap, fatal 1f

62 FORMAT MARCH 1 991 SCREENPLAY

Me nu m a st er s for the way lemm 's live today ! On each puzzling level you Builder - these little guys will have a different number • I , will immediately I of 'icon' commands with ..._ start building a which to guide the little ·-­ bridge that rises at people to safety. Just click an angle of 30 degrees from on the icon you want to use the floor . Each such com­ they haven't.To stop such suicidal of this 'god game' approachinto next then click on the lemm' mand lasts for 10 bricks , tendencies and lengthen the the obvious puzzle formula. The you want to command. after which the lemm' reverts bridge, you have to wait until the resultant mix transcends the Climber - this can be used to a normal 'runner'. tenth bnck is laid. Then. as the normallimi ts of shapes,pipes and • • at any time and Basher - when a lemm' hits • once a climber a solid object, at lemm' turns and looks balls that have held back the likes ...~ bemused,you haveto slap of Klaxand £-Motion.Thelemmings ' ., always a climber . that precise another bridge-builder supply the intrigue, while the Given this command a lemm' instant, slap a commandon them. puzzlinglevels gives the grey will scale any vertica l surface basher command on them mattera hard bme. like Spidennan - albeit a and they'll bash their way Cli hanqer lemmings is a hoot to very small green-haired one. through it. That is unless it is Why, however,should anyone play and Quicklybecomes a Floater - normally great made out of metal, then they want to spendti me and mental""..,.- dangerousobsession. Four dif· falls are fatal for get bruised claws, turn anguish saving the lemm's?The ferent styles are available lemm's, just like in around and run off. answerpartially lies 1ntheir excel· plusa two-playermode All real life . However, Digger - useful begger, lent animation.Although only a call for a clear headand a click this command on a Johnny dl&aer! few pixelshigh, the little folk have cool hand1f you are to finish lemm' at anytime and if they Click this one on a real character. They hold their a leveland gain the nextpassword. fall, they open a brolly and lemm' and they heads in despair if instructed to Thereare over 160 levels,each of float gracefully to Earth. Immediately start to tunnel self destructand tap their toes as whichhas more thanone solution. Bomb - to remove a blocker straight down. Again if they theyget boredof blocking. You must decidethe best way or any lemm' who run out of floor or hit metal The lack of one main to solve a level, given the corn· winds you up, click they stop. protagonistand, instead,focusing mands available,and any favoured it on them . After a Miner - starts any lemm' upon a collective group who are personal approach.There 1s, as five-second count down they • I] i digging diagonally controlledVia icons. puts this firmly the old sayinggoes. more thanone explode. Ha! ,-"°" down until they hit in the 'god game' genre. Most wayto explodea lemming. Blocker - an essential but metal or run out of . . fatal command in floor. Pick 'em when you important,though, 1s the blending nton Webt • I .....:If,-- the hectic world of can't go over, or round an - - Lemminging. The object and have to go under. lemm' will stand where Armageddon - Click twice clicked , spread his arms and on the mushroom stop his fellows from running cloud and this in that direction . The only quits the level, way to remove a blocker is to killing all the lemm's in one use the 'bomb' function . huge communal explosion.

Hmm! The trick here la to send a lone lemm ' ahead ol the pack laying bridges . It calls lor spllt·second timing to re-activate the bridge c om · mand before he starts to sky-dive . Oetting to the door (lar right) wlll taJ

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