by Jon Price

Created on: November 03, 2008   Last Updated: November 05, 2008

Whomever coined the phrase "Those go together like ducks and gems", would love the game "Qwak". Oh wait, I don't think anyone ever said that, but you should probably still play this game. Especially if you ever find yourself humming that famous old-timey tune, "Please Don't Rain Spikey Balls on My Duck Head."

"Qwak" follows the adventures of a small duck (or two if you have any friends, which if you're reading this review and/or playing "Qwak", there's a good chance that you don't) who is on a relentless mission to collect gems, fruit, flowers and kill "baddies" by hurling eggs at them. It's a one-screen platformer, like the original "Mario Bros", so all the action takes place on, well, one screen. There's usually a lot happening, so at times it can be a bit tricky to make out exactly what's going on - especially when starting a new level. All the gems and fruit and keys and "baddies" (couldn't they have thought of a better name for the enemies?) clog up a fresh board, so at times it can be a bit tricky finding where your little duck is hiding to begin the level. The graphics are simple but colorful and the music can definitely get repetitive and annoying after playing for ten or fifteen minutes.

One problem that generally plagues platformers such as "Qwak", is the lack of variety from level to level. There is a bit of puzzle-solving in this game, but there isn't much depth to the puzzles. They mainly are the "collect this key" or "get to this hard to reach spot" and therefore lack variety. And the game is not forgiving those of us that are slow in solving these levels, as after about 20 seconds or so in each level, spiked balls start falling from the sky.

"QwaK", however, has enough charm to rise above its small flaws. Though the levels look similar from board to board, there is always some clever arrangement of gems and fruit that makes each level seem fresh. And the game has some other nice touches, like the "Peace Bonus" given for not killing any of the "baddies" in a level. This is definitely a game that seems like it would be fun for about an hour and then suffer from some pretty serious repetition, and not that good kind. The asking price for "Qwak" is about 13 pounds, which may be a little too steep for a game this shallow.

2/5

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