WIZKID BY: SENSIBLE SOFTWARE/OCEAN
::RATING::  Graphics: 4 Sound: 5 Control: 3 Depth: 4 Overall: 5

Wizkid is one of the most bizarrely entertaining games I have ever played. A sequel to the C64 game Wizball, you play as Wizkid, who is off to rescue Wizard, Wizball and Nifta the cat from the evil Zark. To do so, you'll have to collect Nifta's eight kittens first. It wouldn't hurt to look for four different color crystals too.

You play the game in two modes: Head and Body. In 'Head Mode', game play is related to Breakout and Arkanoid. You move your floating head, knocking down enemies with bricks. After clearing enough screens of enemies, a kitten will show up and you can proceed to the next level.

However if you stay in 'Head Mode', you'll only play four levels and rescue three kittens. In a reverse of Super Mario Bros, you'll need to warp to get to the rest of the game!

This is done in 'Body Mode', which is more exploratory, involving items and puzzles, and is often quite humorous. To get to 'Body Mode', collect colored bubbles from enemies and fill up the musical notes at the top of the screen. This opens up an item shop, and you'll be able to choose 'Body Mode' from the menu.

During the game, you'll have chances to play crosswords for much needed cash for the item shop, as well as a Wizball shooter level. If you reach Zark's castle with all the kittens, Zark challenges you to a game of Wizroids (a quite challenging Asteroids clone).

The graphics and sound in Wizkid are great. While not stunning or beautiful, they are quite detailed and suit the game perfectly. Control during 'Head Mode' is good, but can be a little confusing when lots of enemies are on screen. The Asteroids clone controls perfectly. You can play through Wizkid in an afternoon, if you know what to do. But figuring it all out is what makes it so much fun, and it should keep you busy for a while.

Wizkid is a great game and I can't think of anything quite like it before or since. Highly recommended!

-Ben Langberg