by Tabitha Akery

Created on: August 20, 2008   Last Updated: August 24, 2008

Set in the far reaches of outer space, Astro Miner by Ugly Ralph is an adventure game. As the Astro Miner, collect gold nuggets, fight space creatures, and hold off space aliens all while keeping the oxygen tank full.

Game play requires coordination of the keyboard. The arrow keys are used for character movement. Space is used to jump. The F and G keys are for firing and dynamite, respectively. The keyboard keys can be reconfigured to a player's preference or a joystick can be used.

Collect all the gold nuggets in a level to advance to the next. Oxygen tank levels deplete at a steady rate. Drifting blue bubbles add oxygen, while drifting red bubbles increase health levels. Fight the strange space creatures which block the path and fly overhead. At random intervals a space alien appears and starts sniping, disappearing as rapidly as it appeared.

The graphics of this game use a lot of resources and running extra programs will slow the game response down. The flashing screens at the beginning of the game are a little dizzying. The play is two dimensional. The Astro Miner is not very detailed the only things visible are his white suit and gun. The details go more into the background and the space creatures. They can be hard to see against the space background. The little floating bubbles are easy to miss as they float upward, if the player's attention is diverted. A nice countdown does accompany the dynamite giving time to get away.

The music is appropriately high tech sounding and typical game music. However, after awhile it does get repetitive and annoying making the player want to turn it off. The sound neither distracts or assists the player in game play.

Astro Miner is trapped by the limits of gravity. He cannot jump very high. There are no big moon leaps or the weightlessness usually associated with space. The alien ship is highly mobile and impossible to destroy without getting very lucky. This is due to slow response times and low mobility of the miner. Mercifully, the space monsters move in a predictable pattern.

Oxygen depletion and the space monsters add a nice touch to this game. The oxygen depletion adds a level of difficulty. The space monsters are varied and unique, with their names being displayed when in close proximity to the monster. There are a few hidden secrets and nice surprises in the game that wait to be discovered.

Overall, Astro Miner is a decent adventure, puzzle-solving game. The lack of jumping power and gravity rules can make this game frustrating. The hidden surprises are a welcome addition. However, I would not buy this game due to the game's use of available resources. I rate this game a 3 out of 5.

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