The Simpsons: Virtual Bart

Bart is back! While participating in the local school science fair, the prince i I of mischief stumbled upon a room that was showing a Virtual Reality experiment. To Bart's dismay he wasn't watching a VR experiment, he WAS the experiment! Now the only way he can escape the spinning wheel of Reality (and avoid throwing up) is to complete all the games on the wheel including, baby Bart's adventures, Krusty's pig farm, the Springfield water slide, the wasteland race, school picture day, and prehistoric Bart. What truly makes this game enjoyable are all the voices that are included in Bart's latest adventure!

THE GOOD

Many complex games add hours of play. The sound effects are right from the show!

THE BAD

Players will have to be good at many different types of games before beating this one.

THE UGLY

Bart's entry in the school science exhibit.

Bart's back with a bang! Virtual Bart has enough variety to make Simpsons fans yell "Cowabunga!" If you don't like the TV show, however, you might wonder what all the fuss is about.

Virtual Variety

Brainiac Martin Prince has invented a Virtual Reality spinning wheel. Bad-boy Bart can't resist, of course, and when he accidentally triggers Martin's machine, he's flung into seven wildly diverse worlds, ranging from the Jurassic setting of Dino Bart to the diaper-dominated Baby Bart. You play as Bart with lots of challenges as you struggle to return to Springfield. You'll race a mini bike, slide through water chutes, and fling tomatoes at Principal Skinner.

As expected, humor fills the game. Bart doesn't merely inhabit each level; he becomes an appropriate creature -- are you ready for Bart the pig and Bart the Bartosaurus? Adding to the fun are Otto, Moe, and other Simpsons nitwits who make cameo appearances.

Best of all is the varied game play. Try a Road Rash-style race near Homie's nuclear power plant, an arcade-style shooting game on school grounds, and several hop-n-bop adventures, including one where Bart becomes a pig bouncing on his tail. Throughout, the sharp controls perform their wide-ranging functions efficiently: You'll swing through the trees as a baby one minute and toss water balloons the next.

TV True

Fun graphics keep the action moving. The game's view changes frequently, so you're never bored: After side-scrolling through Springfield backyards, you watch a behind-the-Bart forward-scrolling desert race. Bart's incarnations and his many sidekicks all have sharp details and movements that'll make you laugh.

The sound effects are terrific. True to the show, the voices perfectly capture the characters' moods, from Baby Bart's joyous "Mama!" to Barney's lip-flapping burps. Peppy music spices up most levels.

Ay, Caramba!

Simpsons fans will love identifying the show's many characters and watching Bart tackle so many challenges, none of which are too difficult. Nonfans may find the game silly, however, and too reliant on the characters' charms. Admittedly, you've seen most of these styles of game play, but not always on one game, and not always with such good humor. Do the Bart, man!

The only virtual thing about this game is that it virtually stinks! The graphics are substandard, the music is bland, and the controls, while laid out well, aren't very precise. Why can't someone make a goad Bart game?

The only virtual thing about this game is that it virtually isn't much good! The graphics are substandard, the music is bland, and the controls, while laid out well, aren't very precise. On the whole, this game virtually stinks!

No way, dude! Bart and Lisa are trapped in a Summer Camp of Evil! Help them escape by picking up flags and battling end bosses!

America's favorite cartoon is going to the Super NES. Acclaim uses the superior graphics abilities of the Super NES to bring Bart and the rest of the Simpson family to life. Incredible animation.

If you like Bart on TV and you liked him on the SNES this fall, you'll still like him on the Genesis this winter. Humorous adventures await this bad-boy hero.

Simpsons Saga

On the Genesis, Bart gets into the same dilemmas he encountered on the SNES. A science-fair project sends Bart careening into six virtual worlds where he becomes a creature of each world. He transforms into a Bartosaurus fighting through prehistory, a Road Warrior road-rashin' down a bleak futuristic landscape, and a Bart Pig hopping and bopping through a pork factory.

The humorous variations on Bart, different game play (including behind-the-Bart racing and a shooter level), and cameos of Simpsons nitwits all combine to keep the action intriguing and funny.

The controls don't ask much of you -- most levels use only one button for jumping and throwing. But on-screen, that one button press translates into effective action, as when Bart accurately slaps his dinosaur tail. Targeting the tomatoes he throws at school takes some practice, though.

Eye Caramba!

Clean, clever graphics generate instant eye appeal. Everything from the way Bart moves, as a baby to the way prehistoric Homer runs closely follows the TV show, and you'll swear you've seen these backgrounds in an episode. The graphics are just about up to the SNES's high standards.

Even better are the sounds. You hear a wide range of Bart-isms, along with noises-and voices from other goofball characters. On the Genesis, the sounds are actually a little richer, and those dinosaur roars would fit right into Jurassic Park. Thematic music effectively drives each level.

Don't Have a Cow, Man

Basically the same game as the SNES version, this one gets almost identical ratings. Likewise, its challenge will keep intermediate players busy for a while. Both VBs stand out as the best Bart games yet because of the sheer variety of activities they offer. There's nothin' Krusty here!