Tail 'Gator

A world at peace would be a great place to live, but it'd make a dull video game. So you know the peaceful animal kingdom of Moberry isn't going to stay that way for long.

Enter Basso Gila, the Dragon Warlord. Not only does this bogus dude have a bogus name, but he's also got a bogus army and castle to match. Our hero, Charly the alligator, must use his tail (and his wits) to crash the castle and send the invaders packing.

A Gator's Tale

Tail 'Gator by Natsume is one of the coolest Game Boy carts I've seen in a long time. The game takes place in four different areas of Basso Gila's castle-Land, Air, Caves, and Underwater. Charly must beat up evil creatures and recover a key before he can leave an Area.

Charly's equipped to pass through any Area. I mean this dude is set! He holds his breath underwater forever, he can walk across clouds, and he can cream the bad guys with his mighty tail. I only wish I had the same powers (except for the tail, that is).

What's in the Box

OK. I know what you're thinking-JD, how do we find the key? Well, each Area hides several boxes.

Now, do you want the good news or the bad news first? Alright the good news first-the key is in one of the boxes. You knew that. The bad news is that the key's always in the last box, so you must smash all the other boxes first.

Next question-what's in the boxes? Check this out. You can grab six different items from the boxes. The Bomb destroys all enemies on screen, very handy. Hearts build up Charly's Heartline. The P symbol jacks up Charly's Powerline, which enables my man, uhhh, gator to produce an awesome power wave. Now, the B symbol-one of my favorites-stands for "bonus points." Finally, Super Power instantly maxes out Charly's Powerline.

Tail 'Gaton's Too Much

I haven't seen a Game Boy cart as good as this one since Super Mario Land. I can't stop playing. After hours of fun I'm still trying to get to the end. Be prepared to drain a ton of batteries before mastering this baby! Any true game player will enjoy this musical, fantasy adventure cart. Until next time, remember if 'Gator's got you stumped, don't use your head-use your tail!

This game has to feature one of the "punniest" titles I've ever seen. It's a cute play on words and incredibly appropriate considering the game is about an alligator that uses its tail to fight off enemies. The manual's story is silly, as usual, and really doesn't have much to do with the game proper, in which you must go from room to room fighting off numerous enemies as you seek the key that will let you go to the next room. The ultimate goad is to get through all of the castle rooms and defeat the evil Dragon Warlord, Basso Gila (yes, as in Gila monster).

In your travels you'll pass through water, caves, over land and on clouds, fighting off killer snakes, fish and whatevers. Your only weapon is your tail, which you can swing to the left and right.

The 'gator can walk, swim and jump and must fight off his enemies trying to break open the chests in each area while he seeks the key to that room. Each chest contains an item; if not a key then perhaps a bomb (which eliminates all enemies momentarily) or a power-up (which gives your tail-swinging more punch) or maybe a heart (which adds to your life-meter of hearts). There are many rooms to play through, and fortunately, a password system is employed, allowing you to continue from the last area you completed.

I'm sort of at a loss to say much else about this title. The above paragraph sums up your goals. The game is more or less an arcade-type contest. The sound is average, with one of those silly little tunes that runs throughout the game (I couldn't find a music-off option). The graphics are simple and cartoonish, but effective. One basic image that stands out most in my mind is when your 'gator runs out of hearts (lives), dies and floats away like an angel, hands under his chin and wearing a weary expression as if to say, "Gee, thanks for getting me snuffed, Bub. " Sorry about that.

Next month I'll be discussing some new games for the Lynx that don't fall into the tried-and-true category, including the puzzling 3D Blockout, Chess, as presented by Fidelity Ultimate Chess Challenge, and even a 3-D flight simulator--Warbirds. Gotta go! So many games, so little time!