The Games of my Life

In the early 80s, there was a guy from Wales called Jeff Minter, who founded a company called Llamasoft, which still exists today. He programmed for several 8-bit computers, such as the Commodore VIC-20 and the C64, and his games, although weird (even at the time, when games tended to be much more original than in the current age of clones and sequels), were usually very, very playable. And they surely had a lot of personality.

One of his earliest games was Gridrunner, originally for the VIC-20, later ported to other systems. It looked like a Centipede (a really old arcade game) clone, but it had a character of its own - for instance, the game ensured that you couldn’t simply stay in a “safe” place and just shoot enemies as they passed in front of you.

About 20 years later, Jeff created the ultimate version of his classic: Gridrunner++.

Looks weird, doesn’t it? But it’s a shooter, played with the mouse (and that simple fact makes it one of the most playable shooters ever - you’ll never feel comfortable playing one with a gamepad, keyboard or joystick again). There are enemies (quite strange ones, too, such as plush toys, soccer balls and such) to shoot, and sheep to catch (they increase your firepower, just like in real life :)).

What makes it so great? First, it’s really fast. Fast like you’ve never seen before - yet, as you get better at it, you still feel in control (due to using the mouse, as I mentioned). It’s also quite psychadelic, which you’ll either hate or love. The sounds are humourous, the gameplay never becomes boring, there are some levels that will make you want to destroy your PC… the game really feels like a labor of love, done by just one guy (except for the enemies’ sprites, which were contributed by fans).

And it’s ridiculously cheap. Just 5 pounds. Some of the best money I’ve ever spent. There’s a trial version with just 5 levels, too.

If you like shoot’em ups, play this game. There’s no other like it.

One warning, though: this game isn’t for everyone. I’ve seen people who simply can’t handle so much action on the screen - and I’m talking about actual gamers. GR++ really needs a lot of concentration, reflexes and eyesight, and the ability to spot and react to movement almost unconsciously.

Link: mirror of the original GR++ page, GR++ page on www.llamasoft.co.uk. The first one gives you a much better idea of the game.