Classic Games – Treasure Island Dizzy

Classic Games - Treasure Island Dizzy Title Page/Loading Page
Classic Games – Treasure Island Dizzy Title Page/Loading Page

THE STORY

Dizzy was looking forward to the round-the-world cruise he’d booked for. When he told the other Yolkfolk about the good deal he found, they wondered just what lay ahead of him…

Dizzy enjoyed the cruise at first although there were far too many pirates on the ship, the Grog was watered down, and he didn’t even know what a mainbrace was, let alone how to splice it!

The captain, Long John Silver, was a lovely old bloke with a kindly manner, good at insulting and degrading the fare paying punters.
He was well balanced – he had parrot on one shoulder and a chip on the other – and he had a wooden leg which he acquired when he fell out of his pram when he was a kid.

Anyhow, their quaint little man o’ war found itself in still waters one sun-soaked afternoon, and Dizzy thought he would organise a game of cricket on the aft deck. In a fit of blinding stupidity he used LJ’s spare leg collection as makeshift stumps, and when they were lost overboard he was made to walk the plank!

That was how he came to find himself gently poaching on the silent, sun-kissed beach of a seemingly deserted island…

He had to somehow find a way back to the Yolkfolk and lodge his compensation claim with the travel agent…

WALKTHROUGH

LEFT

GET THE CHEST, DROP THE CHEST BY THE CLIFF

UP, 8 SCREENS LEFT, UP, UP

GET THE SNORKLE

RIGHT

KICK THE STONE

RIGHT, RIGHT

GET THE SWORD, GET THE CAMERA

DOWN, DOWN, FICE SCREENS RIGHT, DOWN, RIGHT

DROP THE SWORD, DROP THE CAMERA

RIGHT, DOWN, RIGHT, RIGHT

GET THE SPADE

RIGHT

DROP THE SPADE ON THE ROCK

THREE SCREENS LEFT, UP, LEFT

GET THE CAMERA, GET THE SWORD

RIGHT, DOWN, FOUR SCREENS RIGHT, UP, RIGHT, FOUR SCREENS RIGHT

GIVE THE CAMERA TO THE STOREKEEPER

RIGHT, RIGHT

DROP THE BOAT

THREE SCREENS LEFT

GET THE BIBLE

LEFT, LEFT

DROP THE SWORD ON THE GRAVE, GET THE AXE, RETURN TO THE START SCREEN

LEFT, UP, LEFT, LEFT

DROP THE AXE ON THE BRIDGE

DOWN, RIGHT

GET THE TREASURE, RETURN TO THE STOREKEEPER, GIVE THE TREASURE

RIGHT, RIGHT

DROP THE MOTOR, GET THE KEY

FIVE SCREENS LEFT, DOWN, LEFT

GET THE DYNAMITE

RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT

DROP THE KEY ON THE BARREL

DOWN

GET THE MICROWAVE, RETURN TO THE START SCREEN, DROP THE OVEN

LEFT, UP, SIX SCREENS LEFT, UP, UP

GET THE DETONATOR

DOWN, DOWN, FOUR SCREENS LEFT

DROP THE DYNAMITE BESIDE THE ROCK, GO BEHIND THE OTHER ROCK AND DROP THE DETONATOR, TAKE THE BAG, RETURN TO THE START SCREEN, TAKE THE OVEN, RETURN TO THE STOREKEEPER, GIVE THE BAG, GIVE THE OVEN

RIGHT, RIGHT

DROP THE PETROL, DROP THE KEY

RIGHT

Now, just pay the taxman 30 Gold coins and you’ve done it!
Classic Games - Treasure Island Dizzy - Cassette Tape Cover
Classic Games – Treasure Island Dizzy – Cassette Tape Cover

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Classic Games – The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy

Classic Games - The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Title Screen 1
Classic Games – The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Title Screen 1
Classic Games - The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Title Screen 2
Classic Games – The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Title Screen 2
Classic Games - The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Title Screen 3
Classic Games – The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Title Screen 3

THE STORY

The evil wizard Zaks casts a spell on the Yolkfolk and kidnaps Dizzy’s girlfriend Daisy. It’s up to Dizzy to undo Zaks’ doings and rescue Daisy from the castle in the clouds.

WALKTHROUGH

In Dizzy’s hut the door is locked and you will need to open it using the Key which is directly above you when you start the game. Jump onto the dresser and then up on to the rafters. Stand in front of the key and pick it up using the B or 1 button. Now stand in front of the door and put the Key down using the B or 1 button again. Dizzy will open the door. Once doors are open you can make Dizzy go through them by pressing the B or 1 button whilst standing in front of it.

If you walk left from Dizzy’s hut you will find a Plank of Wood. The Plank can be placed over the spit of spikes at the base of the tree-house village, just stand on the edge and put it down. To the left of the Ground level Elevator there is an Elevator Key which should be used to operate the Elevator back up to the tree-house.

Back in the tree-house to the right of Dizzy’s hut is a Snappy Weed which will not allow you to pass. This can be killed by using a Bottle of Weedkiller which can be found just past the pit of spikes.
To the left of the tree-house village there is an Armourog which will attack you unless you give it the Cooked Chicken or Ham found near the Prince. Just stand at the base of the cliff near the Armourog’s den and throw the Chicken by pressing B or 1.

Having killed the deadly grabbing plant you will be able to explore far into the tree-house village. Just past the plant you will find the rope which you will need in the tree-house, the Pirate Ship and Zak’s Cloud Castle. Remember, you can only use it where there is a hook.
To the left of the Armourog there is a Bag of Gold which can be used to bribe the guard in the tunnel of Keldor Village.

As you enter the Village next to Crystal Falls there is an Umbrella which will protect Dizzy from acid drips in the tunnels or mines whenever he is holding it.

On Dock Street in the village, there is a Pirate Ship to explore but you must first get past Blackheart the Pirate. You can find a Barrel of Rum by walking far right of the bridge in Bridge Street. There are several objects on the ships which are used later in the game and will be discussed later but remember to take the Rope onto the ship with you as you will need it to swing around the ship’s masts.

Problems encountered in the Yolkfolk’s secret tree-house village and how to solve them

When exploring the tree-house village you will need all the door and elevator keys. These can be found in the following places:
Daisy’s door Key is just to the left of her hut.
Dozy’s door Key is in Daisy’s hut.

Dora’s door Key can be found on the left side of the tree-house complex, about halfway up.

Dylan’s door Key is to the left of his hut, but you’ll need the rope.
Denzil’s door Key is at the base of the tree-house village on a path below Daisy’s hut.

Grand Dizzy’s door Key is in the meeting hall above Dizzy’s hut.
Dylan, Denzil and Grand Dizzy all have elevators near their huts which must be turned on before they can be operated.

Dylan’s elevator Key is very close to his elevator.
Denzil’s elevator Key is just left of Dizzy’s hut.
Grand Dizzy’s elevator Key is just inside the mine entrance.
Remember to examine what keys you have.

Nearing the top of the tree-house there is a ledge which is slightly too high to jump onto, it’s the one with the hook at the end of it. Just below this ledge you will find a 1 Ton Weight which can be attached to the hook to pull down the ledge, making it possible to continue up the trees.

Rescuing the Yolkfolk.

Within the tree-house village each of the Yolkfolk has their own problem which you must solve in order to progress further into the game
Dora is at home, but she has been turned into a frog by the Evil Wizard Zak. The spell can only be broken by a kiss from a Prince who is on the Forest Floor. In return for bringing Dora the Frog to him, the Prince will give you a Crossbow which you will need later when you make your assault on Keldor Castle.

Dylan can’t catch Pogie the Fluffle, who can be found wandering around the village tree-house. He’s hard to hold, so the only way you can catch him is by placing the Cage over him, this can be found in Daisy’s hut. When you give Pogie to Dylan he gives you a Pygmy Cow which he no longer wants to look after now that he has Pogie back.

Denzil was hit by a Freeze Spell while he was out swimming, he has now been brought back to his hut but needs to be thawed out. This can be done by putting the Pile of Straw, which is found near Denzil’s hut, underneath him and lighting it with the Match found to the left of the Leprechaun. When Denzil thaws out he decides that he won’t be doing much swimming any more and so gives you his Flippers.

Dozy has fallen into a deep sleep and can only be woken by clashing Cymbals near him. The Cymbals can be found in an underwater cave below the bridge near the mine entrance. To gain access to this cave you will need to cut through the bridge with the axe which can be found at the bottom of the mine, but don’t forget the Aqualung. When Dozy wakes up he gives you his Thick Rug which is used in Zak’s Cloud Castle.

Grand Dizzy is ill in bed and needs you to make some medicine for him. The recipe is in his room and you can examine it. You’ll need a Star Plant which can be found just below Grand Dizzy’s hut, the Mushroom which is next to the mine entrance and an Empty Bottle which is also very close to Grand Dizzy’s hut. Throw these three ingredients into the cauldron on Grand Dizzy’s room and then give him the Full Medicine Bottle which comes out of the cauldron. In return for curing him Grand Dizzy will give you a Golden Dragon Egg.

Last of all, Daisy must be rescued from the tall tower in Zak’s Cloud Castle at the very end of the game. You will need to have collected all 250 stars from around the game in order to enter Daisy’s prison Tower.
The following information will help you with the problems encountered under the sea.

On the Pirate Ship, you can swing around the rigging using the Rope and should, with a bit of skill, be able to find a Winch Wheel there. This can be used to open the portcullis of Keldor Castle.
If you walk near the plank on the Pirate Ship, Blackheart the Pirate will jump on you from the rigging above and make you walk the plank. This is not quite as bad as it seems because you can use the bubbles to get back to the surface and collect some valuable starts on the way. When you reach the island at the top of the bubble game you will find an Aqualung which will allow you to breath underwater for as long as you like and so explore the sea bed.

In the sea you will find an old shipwreck which has an empty treasure chest on it. To the left of the shipwreck is a rock with a bubble below it. Using the Pickaxe which is on the first beach you can remove the rock and gain access to the cave below. But don’t attempt to explore this until you have the Flippers. In the cave there is a Coin and some stars. Use the bubble released from below the rock to raise you to the high ledge and onto the new beach.

At the far right of this beach is a cliff which is too high to jump up. To climb this first put down the treasure chest you found on the shipwreck next to the cliff and then jump onto it. You are now high enough to jump up the cliff.

As you walk right from the cliff you will find the broken bridge over the Rock Poll, with a dead-wood log sunk in it. If you drop the Bag of Salt, found on the beach, into the water the buoyancy will be increased and the log will float. Walk onto this and jump off the far end, be careful not to roll into the Poisoned water.

Between the Rock Pool and the Graveyard you’ll find Shamus the Leprechaun barring your way. He has lost his Golden Shamrock along with his temper! The Golden Shamrock can be found at the back of the Dragons Lair deep in the deserted mines.

To reach the dragon and get the Golden Shamrock you will have to go down into the mine. The mine is closed off normally because the elevators don’t work. You can fix the elevator machine by using the Machine Wrench which is found to the right of the bridge near the mine entrance. Work your way deeper into the mine, across the flaming lava pit, until you come across a sign which says “DANGER – Blasting Area”. Put the Sticks of Dynamite, which can be found in the hull of the Pirate Ship, by the pile of rocks and the end of the fuse and then walk back and push the plunger of the detonator. You can now gain access to the Dragons Lair.

Things aren’t as easy however as the dragon is a ferocious guardian of its egg at the back of its lair. However if you are carrying the other Golden Dragon Egg which Grand Dizzy gave you the dragon will let you past to put it back. Once you are in the lair put down the egg and take the Golden Shamrock.

By this stage you will have completed a large part of the game but you will have to contend with Keldor Village and Zak’s Cloud Castle.
To eventually gain access to Zak’s Cloud Castle you will need Zak’s Winch Handle. This is in the centre of the Pirate Ship. It is locked into a small room and you’ll need the Crowbar found in Bridge Street to lever the door open.

You can enter Keldor Castle by using the Winch Wheel, not Zak’s Winch Handle (that is found in the rigging of the Pirate Ship). Make sure you enter the castle carrying the Crossbow which the Prince gave you. Once you have dealt with the guards and entered the castle you should be able to find a Rope Bridge Kit. This is used in the Graveyard to build a bridge across the gap leading towards the Skull Key which is needed in Zak’s Cloud Castle.

In Keldor Village you will have probably noticed a Grave Diggers Spade to the far left of Bridge Street which is too high to get. This can be reached by completing the mine cart game which starts in the mine. This is a difficult part of the game but you should soon learn a route through and collect all the stars.

In the centre of the Graveyard you will see a hollow area below the soil. If you use the Grave Diggers Spade here you will gain access to a Secret Cave which has an Empty Bucket in it as well as some valuable stars. When you have the Bucket make sure you go underwater, this will fill it. Remember to examine it to check. To get out of the cave use the trampet found there to propel yourself to the surface. Place it below the opening to the surface and bounce on it.

To get to Zak’s Cloud Castle you will need the Pygmy Cow given to you by Dylan. Give this to the Shopkeeper in Castle Street and he will give you a Magic Bean in return. You can plant this in the soil where Shamus the Leprechaun was standing (there’s a sign with a picture of a bean on it).

Magically a beanstalk will sprout up into the clouds. Jump onto the leaves and then up into the clouds. You must find a route through the clouds up to Cloud Castle but be careful not to sink through them. Stop every so often and jump straight up as this will put you back to the top of the cloud.

When you reach the entrance to Cloud Castle you will need Zak’s Winch Handle which can be found on the Pirate Ship. Once you have used Zak’s Winch Handle and gained access to the Cloud Castle you will find an elevator. Use the Skull Key you found earlier to turn it on. At the top of the elevator there is a Bed of Knives designed to stop intruders. You can get past this obstacle by placing the Thick Rug (given to you by Dozy) over it. Also in Cloud Castle you will find a raging fire which you should put out using the Bucket of Water.

Now continue further into the castle, using the Rope to swing to inaccessible areas, collecting all the stars and find Daisy’s prison tower. When you get to the tower door a magical beam blocks your path. This can be disintegrated by collecting 250 stars. Once inside you must climb the tower, defeat Zak and rescue your true love Daisy! Sounds easy doesn’t it!

Completing The Sub-games

Probably the first one you’ll encounter is Wizard Theo’s Sliding block puzzle. If you can rearrange the blocks to the mystic spell before the egg timer runs out then you will get an extra life.

To move a block hold down one of the buttons at the same tame as pressing the direction you want it to move. The secret is to get the corners and sides first followed by the stork. The rest will then fit together easily. Also try to memorise what the picture looks like when you first see it so that you can visualise it when you try to reconstruct it. It may seem difficult at first but after a few attempts you should get the hang of it. If you walk to the far right of the Pirate Ship, Blackheart will catch you and make you walk the plank. Then you’ll have to play The Bubble game. But it will have it’s reward!
Always walk off a bubble before it bursts or you will fall through other bubbles for a short time. If you are falling and can see no bubble underneath you can then head for the edge. You can make Dizzy swim and hence slow down his fall by repeatedly pressing the jump button. Try to catch fast bubbles as they will take you further. Also remember, the bigger the bubble the longer it lasts! In the deserted Diamond mines of the Yolkfolk to the right of the tree-house village you can find an old mining cart. Jump in and prepare yourself for an exhilarating ride!

The mine has four exits:
1. Brings you back into the mine and is a safer way to get deeper into the mine.
2. Brings you out onto the beach across the bay. If you re-enter this exit you’ll find yourself back in the mine.
3. Brings you out near the Leprechaun and enables you to get an extra life.
4. This exit must be used to get the Grave Diggers Spade.

This is a game of memory and you must learn a safe route. Try to memorise where the trolls in carts come from as they will repeat the pattern every time you play the game. In the centre of Keldor Village you will have noticed a portcullis. Behind this lies the Castle of Keldor. This is guarded by rock throwing Trolls. The only way to defeat them, and gain entry into the castle, is by shooting them with your Crossbow.

Always enter holding the Crossbow and with room to pick up at least one object. Keep the Crossbow pointing near the centre of the castle as most of the guards appear there and not much movement of the crossbow is required to shoot them. Duck (using the B or 1 button) when the guards throw rocks at you. Shoot the guards by pressing the A or 2 button. Each time you get a hit means you’ll have to shoot another guard to counteract the effect. When you have shot 4 more guards than have made hits on you they will surrender and allow you to enter the castle.

When you have solved every problem and collected all 250 stars you will be able to gain entry into Zak’s Tower where he is holding Daisy. To defeat him you will need to turn his evil power against him, but first you’ll have to climb the tower!

As you attempt to climb you’ll have to avoid Zak’s evil Tumbling Balls! These come bouncing down, and if they hit you, you’ll lose energy. Watch the ball carefully and try to avoid it.
All the sub-games appear more difficult than they really are. You will master all of them with time (and practice!).

Classic Games - The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Game Tape Cassette Cover
Classic Games – The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy Game Tape Cassette Cover

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Classic Games – Magicland Dizzy

Classic Games - Magicland Dizzy Loading Title Screen
Classic Games – Magicland Dizzy Loading Title Screen

THE STORY

Dizzy’s enemy Zaks, the evil wizard, has returned from the dead and spirited Dizzy’s friends off to Magicland and put each under a spell; Dylan, the hippie, has become a talking bush, Denzil, who thinks he’s so cool, has been frozen in ice, Grand Dizzy, who’s gone a bit senile, is trapped in a backwards mirror world, Dora has been turned into a frog, Dozy’s in an even deeper sleep than usual, and Daisy’s grown too big to escape Zaks’ dungeon.

WALKTHROUGH

LEFT

GET KEY

LEFT, LEFT, LEFT

JUMP ON SHARKS BACK, USE KEY, DROP BOTTLE

LEFT

GET HANDLE

UP STAIRCASE, LEFT, LEFT, UP

GET POWER PILL

DOWN, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT, JUMP ON WINDOWSILL, JUMP ON CLOUD, JUMP RIGHT, FALL ONTO WELL, JUMP RIGHT, JUMP LEFT

TAKE DUSTER

FALL OFF CLOUD, DOWN, STAY ON LEFT OF WELL

USE HANDLE, TAKE BUCKET, DROP DUSTER

RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT

KILL GHOSTS, TAKE FROG

RIGHT

TALK TO GLENDA

RIGHT

FILL BUCKET

LEFT

GET THE DRINKME POTION

LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT

DROP ALL EXCEPT DORA

LEFT

GIVE DORA TO PRINCE

RIGHT, UP STAIRS, RIGHT, JUMP ACROSS TO TOP OF WELL, JUMP RIGHT, JUMP RIGHT

TAKE STICK

UP, GO TO MIDDLE OF TOP RIGHT PLATFORM, JUMP RIGHT

GET THE CAT

JUMP RIGHT OFF EDGE

TAKE THE DAGGER

JUMP LEFT, JUMP LEFT, GO TO GLENDA

GIVE CAT

GO TO THE HALL

CUT THE LEAF FROM THE BUSH, LEAVE IT, GET BUCKET

LEFT, LEFT

START THE DRAWBRIDGE

LEFT, LEFT, LEFT

CUT THE GOATS ROPE, USE THE STICK

LEFT, LEFT

DROP THE BUCKET ON DENZIL, TAKE THE STEREO TO HALL, DROP THE STEREO, TAKE THE POTION

UP, GO TO THE WINDOW SILL, JUMP LEFT TO THE TOP OF THE BED, JUMP LEFT, UP, UP

TAKE THE ROD

DOWN, DOWN, LEFT

GET THE CROSS

LEFT, JUMP OUT OF THE WINDOW, LEFT

DROP THE ROD ON DOZY

LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, LEFT, DOWN, DOWN

TAKE THE TORCH

RIGHT

DROP THE POTION ON DAISY

LEFT, UP, UP, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT

TAKE THE APPLE, DROP THE CROSS

GO TO DYLAN

GET LEAF

GO TO GLENDA

GIVE ALL ITEMS TO HER, TAKE POTION

GO TO DYLAN

USE THE POTION ON DYLAN

GO TO THE HALL

COLLECT THE CLOTH, DROP THE CLOTH, GET THE STEREO

UP, LEFT, LEFT JUMP OUT OF THE WINDOW, DOWN, JUMP LEFT, UP, JUMP RIGHT, JUMP RIGHT, JUMP LEFT

DROP STEREO NEXT TO BARD, TAKE PIPES

GO TO THE WELL, FALL LEFT INTO THE WELL, JUMP RIGHT

PLAY THE PIPES

JUMP LEFT, LEFT

GET SOMETHING STICKY

LEFT

GET THE LAMP

UP

DROP THE PIPES, TAKE THE CLOTH

GO TO THE SWORD IN THE STONE, TAKE EXCALIBUR

LEFT

DROP THE LAMP, USE THE DUSTER ON THE LAMP, DROP THE DUSTER

GO TO THE ICE CASTLE, JUMP LEFT, UP, UP, JUMP LEFT OFF EDGE OF THE TOP LEFT LEDGE, DOWN

ENTER THE MIRROR, TAKE THE QUEEN

LEFT

SAVE GRAND DIZZY

GO TO THE VOLCANO, JUMP ACROSS ON THE CLOUDS, RIGHT, DOWN, DOWN, GO TO THE DEVIL

TAKE THE TRIDENT

GO TO ZAKS

DROP THE TRIDENT ON HIM, TAKE THE RING

GO TO THE DEVIL, LEFT, JUMP LEFT TO THE MIDDLE STONE

DROP THE RING IN THE LAVA

RIGHT, GO TO THE DEVIL

TALK TO THE DEVIL – And thats it! Now find the 30 diamonds and you have completed the game!

Classic Games - Magicland Dizzy Game Cover Cassette Tape
Classic Games – Magicland Dizzy Game Cover Cassette Tape

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Classic Games – Spellbound Dizzy

Classic Games - Spellbound Dizzy Loading Title Screen
Classic Games – Spellbound Dizzy Loading Title Screen

THE STORY

Trouble’s afoot for Dizzy in his BIGGEST and BEST adventure yet! Meet Dizzy’s magical chum THEO, the wizard with a plethora of POWERFUL POTIONS! Dozy, Dylan, Dora, Daisy and Grand Dizzy – the YOLK FOLK – are all here too and they’re in HOT WATER this time! Help Dizzy SAVE THEIR SHELLS before they end up HARD BOILED!

WALKTHROUGH

Classic Games - Spellbound Dizzy Tape Cassette Cover
Classic Games – Spellbound Dizzy Tape Cassette Cover

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Classic Games – Tales Of Monkey Island

Classic Games - Tales of Monkey Island Title Page
Classic Games – Tales of Monkey Island Title Page

THE STORY

Tales of Monkey Island is set in the Gulf of Melange, you play our favorite character Guybrush Threepwood who while attempting to destroy big bad boss guy undead pirate LeChuck, Guybrush accidentily releases a voodoo pox! It is up to Guybrush along with his wife Elaine Marley–Threepwood to find a cure.

TALES OF MONKEY ISLAND TIPS

No walkthroughs/tips submitted for this game yet – be the first to submit one on the junglebiscuit.com

TALES OF MONKEY ISLAND SCREENSHOTS

Classic Games - Tales of Monkey Island Gameplay Screenshot "That sock needs a good darning"
Classic Games – Tales of Monkey Island Gameplay Screenshot “That sock needs a good darning”
Classic Games - Tales of Monkey Island Gameplay Screenshot "Darn you, sock!"
Classic Games – Tales of Monkey Island Gameplay Screenshot “Darn you, sock!”
Classic Games - Tales of Monkey Island Game Box Cover
Classic Games – Tales of Monkey Island Game Box Cover

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Runescape – Duel Arena Guide

Duel tournaments are held in another part of the duel arena from normal duels and can only be done in world 54. It works basically the same way as a normal duel except you work your way through several opponents and get all of the entry money at the end of you win.

To get there:

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The duel arena is in Al Karid. Most people would use a ring of duelling to teleport themselves straight there. You can also walk from Lumbridge or Varrock if your poor. Here where it is:

How to get to the Runescape Duel Arena

How to get to the Runescape Duel Arena

When you get there you will see a red minigame symbol on the map, this is the tournament entrance:

The Duel Tournament Entrance

The Duel Tournament Entrance

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Aliens Vs Predator Review 25/02/2010

It’s not bad, with a lot for fans to enjoy, but it just feels out of date, simplistic and gets dull quickly.

You would think anything associated with possibly the two greatest killing machines in science fiction history would be of a high quality and a great experience all round. Sadly this is not the case as when the two have clashed on film it has been, without any shadow of a doubt, rubbish! They had glimpses of what should have become of this gore splattered union, such as a couple of pretty decent fights between the two other worldly beings, but generally poor acting and low budget stopped them being anything like the original legendary separate films, that spawned both the franchises. The two have met in a game before as well, back in 1999 (the same guys, “Rebellion”, that made this 2010 version also made the original), which sadly I have never played but I have read it has glimpses of what it should have been but it was too clunky and repetitive to play, and simply not that great. So why does the combination of these franchises always result in mediocrity when individually they generally achieve greatness? Well “Rebellion’s”, latest crack at the franchise intends to answer those questions and produce a decent gaming experience for “Alien” and “Predator” fans. It is a first person shooter with a lot of hand-to-hand/melee combat, where you will play through as a human colonial marine, an Alien and a Predator all with interlinking stories. The story takes place on a planet called BG 386, where a human colony, funded by the company “Weyland-Utani”, has set up camp. This planet is also an ancient and forgotten Predator hunting ground where they store Alien queens in giant temples and breed the Alien in order to do battle with it (pretty much an identical plot to the AVP films, just in a different time and place). Discovering this, the company (as always) wants to breed the Alien and sell it as a bio weapon, but on the sly, they have also discovered a particularly large, ancient and intriguing Predator temple that holds a secret that Weyland wants very badly. When Weyland eventually opens the temple it sends out a shock wave that shuts down the colony and as a result all the imprisoned Aliens escape, slaughtering all human life. The colonial marines are called in to mop up the mess, which is where you come in as a human, but there is more going on than a simple “bug hunt”. As an Alien you have to escape your prison and help free the queen from the colony, whilst helping your species breed along the way. Again, things turn out to be not that simple. As a Predator you are sent to the planet to find out why a previous troop of “Young Blood” Predators never returned, only to discover the human’s plans. You must find out what Weyland is up to and set about stopping him from breeding the Alien, as if left in the hands of humans, all life in the universe will succumb to the “crawling dark”. You will also have to discover what is so important about the temple and why it is not simply a holding chamber for Alien breeding.

What’s good?

It has totally captured the “Aliens” and “Predator” universe. This is mainly why it leans so much towards being appealing to fans of the franchises rather than casual gamers, and why not? There is a seriously large amount of fans out there, myself included. So in that respect, “Rebellion” has really hit the nail on the head. Everything you would expect from the films is in this game: alien queens, pulse rifles, motion sensors, chest bursting, face huggers, Predator camouflage, killing people with your Alien toothed tongue, collecting skulls as trophies as a Predator, terraforming, drop ships, ancient Predator temples, Weyland Bishop, I could go on. They have managed to cram almost everything you would expect from the films, bar “Ripley” or “Dutch”. The sound effects of a marine’s pulse rifle is absolutely spot on, as is the death scream of an alien and the weird voice throwing thing a Predator does, the space craft are spot on as are the dark corridors and feeling of dread. It definitely captures the strengths and weaknesses of the three species as well and enables to them to fight relatively entertainingly with each other in hand to hand combat, which you would expect from an Alien and a Predator. If you get the various fight techniques right you can perform signature kills, the Alien generally slicing people in three with their tails or biting chunks out of them with their tongues and Predators use their claws to severe heads and spines. It is an absolute blood bath and without doubt does exactly what fans will be expecting, and if you are a fan of either franchise this will push all the right buttons.

The different styles of gameplay are really interesting and unique. Playing as a marine, Alien or Predator is as different as it gets and “Rebellion” has done an excellent job in capturing the strengths and weaknesses of the three species:

Human: The colonial marine campaign will be the most familiar, and the species you should handle first, as it is basically a typical first person shooter. From the word “go” it is really frightening, with lots of dark space station corridors to navigate and very scary Alien hives to go through with xenomorphs springing from all sorts of corners, ducts and vents. You often don’t have any clue they are there, other than your motion sensor going nuts, until they jump at you from the shadows. Although you definitely feel more vulnerable as a marine, you are by no means defenceless, with their biggest strength coming from their guns. You have pistols, shot guns, sniper rifles, the legendary pulse rifle, the fantastic Smart Gun, flame throwers, grenades and generally the full armoury seen in all the films. You will basically go through the campaign doing only what humans know best and shooting everything. You will mostly shoot Aliens, but there’s loads of androids to kill, Alien queens, and a Predator (although he was disappointingly not as tough as you might think). They can also do a bit of melee combat, such as blocking an Aliens slashes and clawing, bopping them away with the butt of your gun and shooting them whilst they are dazed on the floor. If you have ever fancied yourself a “Hudson” or “Vasquez” then you will love the marine campaign.

Alien: The Alien was my favourite. It was quite empowering to play as the thing that’s been scaring the crap out of you for 4 hours as a human, plus they are the most effective killing machine when you get used to it. I loved stalking marines from the ceiling, observing their movements, and running in for a quick silent kill whilst their back is turned. Aliens have only melee style, hand-to-hand combat, which includes your powerful claws and knife like tail, which you will combine with light and heavy attacks. The xenomorph’s will claw and bite their way through enemies, meaning you will always have to be up close and personal to make a kill. They are excellently prepared for such strikes though, as they are lightning fast, can grip on to any wall or ceiling and utilise darkness as their ally. Taking out lights, attacking from the shadows, from vents or from above is the key, whilst trying not to attract too much attention to yourself. The Alien also has heightened senses and can see all living things through walls and round corners as long as they are relatively close. This is good for setting up signature kills which are really good fun. You can hiss at a marine round a corner, attracting their attention, then run up a wall and on to the ceiling and after they have walked under you, drop down, sprint up behind them and grab them, impaling them with your tail so that it comes out their mouth. You will also use your tongue to bite a chunk out of their head, tear bits off them, snap necks and generally make very gory, but very satisfying kills. Or, if you grab an unarmed human, you can help the xeno cause by holding them down for a face hugger to latch on to them. It only takes one or two bullets, or one slash from a Predator to put you down, but that is a true characteristic of the Alien. The Alien gameplay has its flaws (more of that in a bit) but it is really unique and really good fun when you get the hang of it.

Predator: The Predator is similar to the Alien but uses a much more stealth like approach mixed with technology and single powerful strikes. Cloaking and taking out targets silently is his asset when fighting marines, but Aliens can see through your camouflage, so quick reactions and good hand to hand combat skills are needed. You have the same light and heavy attacks as the Alien using your wrist blades, as well as excellent signature kills by grabbing, but you can also take out enemies from afar with your plasma caster, spinning disc or spear, which is all one hit one kill options. You also have proximity mines, but opportunities to use them are fairly infrequent. The Predator is the most powerful character to play but you will have to be a lot more tactical and use surveillance to become efficient with him. He doesn’t have too many flaws being super strong and tough but keeping an eye on energy use is tough and being overwhelmed by Aliens will also be the Predator’s undoing.

The colonial marine campaign is absolutely terrifying. Quantifying fear is difficult as it is entirely opinion based. Personally the only game that genuinely frightened me was EA’s excellent “Dead Space”. The feeling of isolation and dread was huge. Aliens Vs Predator is easily on a par with this though. Ever since seeing Ridley Scott’s “Aliens”, at the young age of 12 and consequently not sleeping for around six months afterwards, H. R. Giger’s “Necronom IV” has truly petrified me. There’s just something so immensely fear inducing about the Alien to me and this game really brings that fear out. From the word “go”, the marine campaign is a scary one. You have to navigate some very dark corridors, with just a pistol, trying to find your way to a fellow marine, who’s giving you guidance via your radio, and all you have is your flash light and your motion sensor. The tension builds for so long, the dull beat of your motion sensor is the only thing you hear, and upon the first “blip”, as your motion sensor detects movement, my rectum instantly prolapsed (not literally). I know it’s just a game, I know its just one alien, I know I will kill it (as it’s the intro to the game) and yet I was 12 years old again, watching the marines go into the hive for the first time and watching “Hudson” looking at his motion sensor and shouting “their all over us man!” and absolutely crapping myself, fearing, yet knowing, what was coming round the corner. You will have to venture into several hives yourself in this game and they are equally as intimidating as they are in “Aliens”. Xenomorphs will come out of the walls, totally camouflaged against the background. Your motion sensor will picks things up but you won’t see anything, and of course you will encounter queens. It’s obviously not as scary being the Alien, but the Predator campaign has its moments as well and if you were ever frightened by any of the films, this will probably bring out that child like fear in you once more.

What’s bad?

The story isn’t that great and is told in too much of a disjointed small portioned way. My main issue with AVP is the story as, although it’s relatively interesting, it is totally unoriginal and in far too much of a hurry to set up a sequel. It doesn’t really dwell on any of the most interesting aspects of it and you generally race through everything so quickly it’s far too easy to miss things. You also have to pick up audio transmissions throughout, which again, is ok, but they are scattered everywhere and it’s too hard to decipher what’s going on from them. It comes across as more of a story to accommodate the title, rather than the other way round, as though Rebellion acquired the rights to the franchise and didn’t have very long to come up with a script, so mashed some things together quickly. It’s a lot like the films in many respects, does the job, but does not inspire or captivate in anyway.

The Alien and Predator gameplay isn’t particularly great either. I can’t imagine getting hand to hand combat to work well on a first person shooter is particularly easy, and AVP is a good example of this. It’s really simple for a start and is incredibly “old school” and arcade like. You have light and heavy attacks and blocking but there is not much in terms of fluidity and smoothness and it does not require much, if any, skill. If someone attacks with a light attack, block and do one back. If someone is blocking use a heavy attack. Its far too easy to stop heavy attacks as all you have to do in the small decade it takes to charge up is perform a light attack and your knocked to the floor. It doesn’t really get any more complex than that, and even that does not work too well. You will always end up blocking, hitting an enemy to the floor and then grabbing them to perform a signature kill. These are good but they do get dull after a while, as it’s the same button action again and again, they take far too long to perform and other near by enemies can still attack you whilst you are doing them, to which you can do nothing about. There are few things worse in gaming than being punished for something that you can not avoid. You just generally end up running up to an enemy and hammering the attack and blocking buttons. As a result it’s totally chaotic, constantly interrupted by signature kill cinematics and is generally uninspiring. Being totally mellee combat based, the Alien suffers from this simplistic gaming the most. The Alien moves so ludicrously quickly that you often sprint right past your victim by accident so they see you and start shooting you in the back. As an Alien this will inevitably result in your death. It’s also too easy to get stuck to surfaces and it’s seriously disorientating when traversing ceilings and walls. There is some enjoyment to be had from the combat but it’s so repetitive and simplistic and I reckon more depth and a more expansive combat system is needed. It will basically feel a bit out of date compared to other games. “Uncharted 2” shows that an incredibly simple hand to hand combat system can work very well, so there is not much excuse.

The graphics are also not that great. Possibly a harsh criticism this, however when compared to other visual treats available on the PS3 it doesn’t look brilliant. The Aliens look good, but environments and in particular characters and cinematics look really wooden, bland and not very detailed. They are by no means terrible but not particularly awe inspiring either. Graphics are so highly rated on the PS3, with several titles being utterly jaw dropping visually (Uncharted 2 for example), so with a big name title such as this you really expect more.

Conclusion

The game, rather unsurprisingly, is very much like the films. They have all the trademark Alien and Predator stuff, lots of gore and fighting, and if you switch your brain off there are moments that you will enjoy. But it never really blows you away at any point or makes you keep coming back for more. It’s pretty good, but not that great. If you’re a fan, there will probably be a lot for you to like here. It has totally captured everything you would expect from these franchises, from the noise of a pulse rifle, to the death screech of an Alien, to infiltrating hives and stalking people using stealth camoflauge, it really does hit the nail on the head. The fear induced by the marine campaign is the pinnacle of this. It’s terrifying. There is also lots of cheap thrill signature death moves that although shallow, will inevitably tweak all the right knobs for fans. If you are not fussed on this universe, however, there are many much better games out there. It is quite good fun experiencing the different species, but the first person combat is seriously old school and retarded-ly simple, and the marine campaign is just a normal shooter. If Modern Warfare can be likened to the “I-phone” of the computer games world, AVP feels more like two empty bean tins tied together with string. It works, but it is too simple, doesn’t look great, and is generally far from brilliant.CA.

Summary

Is it user-friendly/easy to get into? – 8.0

A very simple game will always result in it being very easy to get to grips with. The marine campaign is a standard shooter, but the Alien and Predator will take some getting used to. The Alien is too disorientating and the Predator has too many tools. Tutorials at the beginning are pretty good at teaching though.

Is the story any good? – 6.0

It’s ok, and does what it’s supposed to do: tie in all three species into a story and set it up for a sequel. It really only does that though and it feels far to woolly, fast paced and as if it was quickly collaborated together in someone’s lunch break.

How does it look? – 8.0

It’s pretty good. The Aliens all look good as do hives, but environments are a bit bland and character animations are really wooden and unconvincing. When compared with other titles it does not have that extra fine detail that would make it look awesome. Not bad though.

How does it sound? – 9.5

The sound goes most of the way to making this game appeal to fans. Pulse rifles, Alien screams, Predator voice throwing all the sfx you would expect are perfectly re-produced. Voice acting is a bit stereotypical but it works.

Is it good to play? – 7.0

Lots and lots of shooting, hacking and beheading to be done. Marine campaign is truly scary and stalking people as an Alien was very enjoyable for me. The stealth and signature kills are all quite impressive as well. The hand to hand combat is very chaotic however, very crude, simplistic to the point of sleep inducing and it will bore quickly.

When will I get bored? – 6.0

It takes a fair amount of time to complete but not too long. The Alien campaign is literally an hour or so. The simplistic combat gets repetitive quickly and even the signature kills get old at speed as well. The online stuff will keep things going, as it is unique if nothing else, but has all the same cheap thrills followed shortly by tedium of the single player. I got bored of it pretty quickly.

OVERALL – 7.0

Review created by C. Armstrong.