by Nadine Odo

Created on: July 21, 2008   Last Updated: August 01, 2008

Swim, shoot, swim, shoot, shoot, swim. That is the essence of Laser Dolphin from Dingo Games. Laser Dolphin is a quick download, which gives you an indication right away of how uncomplicated a game it is. Basically, a dolphin with a laser attached to its back swims and leaps and shoots at mines, cannons, and various sea creatures who also have lasers attached to their backs. You (the dolphin) capture shiny golden dolphins along the way.

There are four different versions of the game: action, stunt, race and custom. In action mode, you travel through the water to shoot at targets. The earlier levels have mostly stationary targets, but as you progress to higher levels, you are challenged (somewhat) with swimming creatures that shoot back. You can increase the level of difficulty, but the only difference seems to be that you sustain greater "injuries" when you're hit.

In stunt mode, you glide, jump through hoops, and try to figure out other tricks to rack up a high score within a time limit. The game doesn't provide any examples of stunts, so you're left to fend for yourself. Only the first level is available in the demo, so you find yourself wondering how different the other levels could possibly be.

In race mode, you swim through hoops as fast as you can. Actually, you only have to touch the hoops. It would be more challenging if you needed to go through them cleanly or risk starting the race all over again. If I had designed the game, I would have included a race level in the action mode, at maybe every five levels or so, to spice things up a bit.

There's also a custom mode, in which you can design your own level and share what you create. This is not available at all in the demo, which is unfortunate. Gamers could conceivably design better levels and share them with Dingo Games, with the end result being a more challenging and enjoyable game for all.

The overall feel of the game vaguely reminds me of Asteroids, or some other less evolved game from the 1970s. If you're into retro-style games, this could be the one for you. The graphics leave something to be desired. Each level has the same two-dimensional look, and our hero, the dolphin, is barely animated at all. The music is pleasant in a Muzak sort of way, and the sound effects (dolphin clicks, gun blasts) are barely passable. In short, the game lacks "wow."

I check out free downloads all the time, and if I play until the very last second of the 60-minute trial and still want to see what the game has to offer, then I'll seriously consider plunking down $20 for the full version. After only about 10 minutes with this game, though, I was bored.

The game has some potential, but it definitely needs work. Laser Dolphin would be much more engaging if there were secret passageways with hidden prizes or power-ups to discover. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Laser Dolphin a 1. If the look and feel of the game were improved and if there were secret treasures to search for, I might give it another go.

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