by Jackie Money

Created on: November 15, 2008   Last Updated: September 04, 2010

What a delight Alex Gordon by Alawar is! It's a good, old-fashioned, traditional, and uncomplicated platform game with a real feel good factor. Alex Gordon is a cat on a mission.

He and his sister Alice, whilst on their adventures, find a nice, quiet, little island paradise which, with the addition of a few mod cons, would make a perfect hideaway. They discover a hidden cave and, having removed the debris from around the entrance, find an amulet inside. Being seasoned adventurers and following the old adage 'curiosity killed the cat', they pick up the amulet only to find that the gems disappear into thin air. The next thing they know, a native called Pooh abducts Alice and demands that Alex finds the gems and return them to their rightful place in order to secure Alice's release. This also gives him the opportunity to collect gold coins so he can buy items to kit out his new island home.

At the start of Alex's quest he comes across Trams the penguin, who turns up from time to time throughout the game to give him a few helpful hints; and at various points he meets up with Lucky, who auto saves the game, a great advantage if you lose a life as you don't have the boring task of having to start from scratch.

Along the way, as you would expect, Alex is confronted by all sorts of mutant beasties, amongst which are troublesome tortoises, feisty fish and pesky pandas.

As you progress through the levels, you'll find that more and more adversaries will block your path, but, likewise, you'll find more and more aids to your journey such as trampolines, elevators and even barrels which you can jump onto and roll your way through the enemy. And, of course, you get to spend your hard earned gold coins on new items for your island - just click on the map button to discover a whole hypermarket of goods.

The game is incredibly engaging and addictive despite its simplicity. The characters are very likeable, the music is upbeat and befitting to the environment Alex finds himself in. The sound effects, whilst a little repetitive fit the characters and the environment. Despite them being repetitive the game was so absorbing that I didn't even notice after a while. The controls are simple (mouse or keyboard the choice is yours), the graphics are slick, sharp and clear cut and the text storyline is short, snappy and to the point.

This game would be a hit with young and old alike and at around $20 is an absolute bargain. There are no frills and fripperies just a very enjoyable and graphically pleasing arcade game. I would say the chances are this will become a 'best seller' and it won't be the last we'll see of Alex and Alice's adventures! Rating - 5/5.

Learn more about this author, Jackie Money.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.