Funny Games - Alcatraz Harry - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

Alcatrazz Harry ZX Spectrum
Ahh now a real cult classic game from the obscure annals of ZX Spectrum gaming.

Written in BASIC and looking like an early 1982 game, this title from Mastertronic was one of those 'so bad it's good' kind of efforts. Well almost.

Flickery characters, UDG's, spot effects that were laughable and spartan backgrounds made up this prison break style computer game.

In fact, the game so limited playing it was a prison sentence in itself.

The Loading Screen Set Your Expectation Level

The aim of the game was to escape from a prison that looks nothing like Alcatraz by collecting a bunch of tools and equipment dotted around the locations (there were a lot of very 'samey' looking screens).

It was possible to take short-cuts though by using some already constructed tunnels ('Harry'?) to make your progress less arduous.

Avoid those guards at all costs otherwise our poor hero would end up getting his head shot off in a humorous game over sequence.

Those are the real graphics. Honest!

Look, the game was duller than an interview with Richard Madely. Your character looks like he has hooves for hands and walks like he's crapped his pants more than once. The loading screen looks like a rejected entry for Tony Hart's gallery. 

But all of this comes together to make you smile. Maybe not for long, but load it up and you will laugh and wonder how games like this were still being released in 1984.

Still, it's not as bad as Flight Path 737!

Check out the hilarious game over sequence!


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Funny Games - Psycho Pigs U.X.B - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

Psycho Pigs U.X.B
This release from US Gold in 1988 for the good old ZX Spectrum was a fine blend of humour and arcade action.

It was met with generally positive reviews back in the day and was always worth a chuckle.

The title was so unusual it is a classic game that is well remembered by many. It is also a game that was worked on by talented developer Peter Gough who we were lucky enough to talk to a while back.

Anyway, this is the next of our Funny Games to be looked at on our favourite ever 8-bit machine.

Great Loading Screen, Great Title

This game was coin-op conversion of an arcade machine called 'Pigs And Bombers'. The machine was never imported into the UK back in the day so not many people actually got to see it first hand.

So, let's have a butchers once again!

After a brief introductory sequence showing the other porky contestants the playing area is revealed and your pig enters the gaming area from the left.

Displayed on screen are your porky opponents and a bunch of bombs with numbers on them. The referee blows his whistle and the game begins.

Moving at speed your opponents run about the screen, pick up bombs before ejecting their explosive payloads; usually in your direction.

You have to do much the same thing; the object being to turn them into BBQ'd pork while dodging about and saving your own bacon. Ahem.

Squeel Like A Piggy Boy!

Once the game is underway the action is frenetic. The bombs bounce around the screen nicely and take out plenty of meat in a localised blast.

If any of them come to rest then the numbering system becomes all important.

Seconds tick away visually, until at three seconds the bomb begins to flash. Now would be a good time to step away from the flasher...

As you progress through the game it becomes more difficult; the initial countdown number on the bombs is reduced, some of the bombs start a count down without even being picked up and the other players become harder to kill. Some will need multiple hits before you can stick them between two slices of bread.

Occasionally a deceased opponent will leave a power-up icon behind. These will give you extra powers such as: throw further, blast protection suit, wider explosion field and a nice speed boost. Between levels there is a sub-game to give you a chance to increase your score.

The mini-game lasts for about one minute. Pigs will pop their heads up out of holes in the ground (in a whack-a-mole stylee). What you have to do is run around planting kisses on their gobs (yuk) before they disappear again.

The more sloppies you deliver, the more points you get; and what do points make? Well, a higher final score I suppose.

The graphics are animated nicely and as far as sound goes it is spot effects on 48K version, but on a 128K machine there is a snappy continuous tune.

For more laughs try the two-player option, the best link-up you'll have in a while :-)

Classic Arcade Action:
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Funny Games - Psycho Santa - Classic Commodore Amiga Game

Psycho Santa Amiga
As we approach the festive season it's time to take a look at a funny game that was created in the true spirit of Christmas.

Psycho Santa is a classic game that was put together by the excellent Bullfrog software and released as a magazine cover-disk. In the true spirit of giving the game was licensed as shareware.

The magazine was 'The One'. The year was 1993. The machine was the Commodore Amiga. The game itself was a real humorous treat to get you in the mood for Chrimbo...

A funny loading screen to set the Christmas scene...

I don't know how to describe this game. It's part horizontal scrolling shoot em up, part vertical bounce and collect.

What I can say is that there are plenty of laughs to be had. The graphics reek of shareware (as you would expect) and the sound effects follow suit.

But the sound effects consist of real low grade humour (which I like), and this is just the type of game to raise a few belly laughs.

In fact, I'm pretty sure that Billy Bob Thornton took inspiration from this game ;-)

Where's the rest of me reindeer?

Have a couple of mince pies, a few well deserved Christmas drinks and stick this on. Then only one question remains; will you fart more times than your Amiga?

Ho, Ho and indeed, HO!

Merry Christmas everyone.

That psycho takes to the skies... Classic Arcade Action:


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Funny Games - Brutal Sports Football - Classic Commodore Amiga Game

Brutal Sports Football Amiga
This classic game was a hybrid of sports sim / beat em up game for the Commodore Amiga.

It was released back in 1993 by Millennium and was developed by Teque Software.

If you liked American Football and / or the Speedball games from the legendary Bitmap Brothers then this game would be one for you.

It managed to combine over the top violence with sporting action to create a game that was rewarding and fun to play. As far as Brutal Sports go, then this one was right up there with the best of em...

Let's get Brutal

The aim of the game was (as you may have guessed) to win the match by any means necessary.

Now in the Speedball series of games you could injure an opposition player to earn points for your team, here it was an actual necessity!

As far as classic arcade games go this one is not quite up there with the likes of Speedball II (not many games are), but as it stands it's a pretty good blast from start to finish.

Hack, Punch, Stomp...

Winning was achieved by scoring goals, but the most points (and fun) was to had by hacking, stomping, punching and kicking the opposition players. Classic arcade action all the way.

Gamers will no doubt remember decapitating an opposition team member then kicking the head for a field goal. Which was always worth a laugh.

In fact, the playing field would end up littered with corpses and body parts as the game went on, with huge holes left in the ground as the grass was churned up by the violence. Nice touch actually.

The game-play was a little limited but there were upgrades to collect such as fast feet, broadswords and bombs to keep things interesting.

All in all this was a decent effort at something a little different. Two player mode was always a hoot as you doled out a good kicking to your best mate.

All in all as far as funny games go, this is a decent effort from the halcyon days of the Amiga...

Brutal Sports Football - classic gaming
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Funny Games - Adventures Of St Bernard - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

The Adventures Of St Bernard
Hey folks! This 'classic game' (ahem) has already appeared in the 'crap games' section of my ZX Spectrum Games blog - but it is such a bad game it makes it funny!

Would you believe that Carnell actually had the audacity to charge £5.95 for this slice of 'arcade action' originally?

It wasn't even worth the £1.99 that Mastertronic were asking for a year later (that I shelled out) on re-release. Still, you've got to look back and laugh eh?

Mind you, the loading screen was okay at the time...

I need a barrel of brandy to get over this game

The whole point to the game was to rescue the usual damsel in distress from the clutches of the abominable snowman.

Gamers are the ones that need to be rescued from this abominable computer game. The inlay instructions actually used words like 'intrepid' and 'icy wastelands' to convey the terror and action of the situation. Unfortunately it doesn't work quite like that...

The game is a horizontally scrolling affair (supposed arcade action), and you control the hero who must fend off attacks from wolves and jump over broken ice. Attacks always occur from your rear, so you can scare them away by turning to face them or if you time it right, bite them (use your imagination please) to kill them outright.

After you have got far enough (the background scrolls painfully slowly) you will reach stage two!

Now you have to jump over water patches and avoid the walrusses that poke their heads up through the ice-holes.

Turn You Unresponsive Bastard!

If you have the luck or patience you'll reach stage three where you have to climb a hill and avoid the rolling snowballs. A bit like a really crappy Donkey Kong on ice with virtually no chance of the player winning.

If you make it past this it'll be more by luck than judgement - I never ever did, and never ever will.

The controls are sluggish, the graphics laughable, the sound pretty much non-existent and the gameplay.... well there is no gameplay. You will laugh as you press the jump key and wait for an hour for your character to respond.

You will laugh as you somehow manage to fend off the attackers without really knowing how you did it. This game really is so bad, it somehow becomes good.

Check out my valiant attempts in the video below:

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Funny Games - Star Paws - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

Star Paws
So what's this game all about then?

Well it was a pretty wacky arcade game from Software Projects and featured the ZX Spectrum programming talents of Peter Gough, S L Cork and Tim Follin.

Peter Gough was pretty well known for inserting a large slice of hunour into his computer games and this one was no exception.

But what was the aim of this classic game?

A classic funny game on the ZX Spectrum

In the farthest reaches of our Galaxy there lives a rare creature known as the Tasty Space Griffin. Long ago this creatue (a bird) was acclaimed as a galactic delicacy, and acquired such value that it came to be used as an extremely valuable unit of inter-galactic currency, traded on the stock markets of the universe.

You played the part of 'Captain Rover Pawstrong' who has been accidentaly sent on the mission instead of Neil Armstrong! Vastly inexperienced and totally unsuited for the task, your mission was to capture or destroy every one of these intergalactic poultry like delicacies.

Catch those space chickens boy!

So there you have it - an arcade game, set in space, where you have to capture what are essentially chickens! (or perhaps Road Runner's meep meep!?)

With it's cartoon style graphics, the dissolving (chicken) energy meter, varying levels and bonus 'eye view' blasting level this was an arcade game that would bring a smile to your face; and all for a meagre £2.99!

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Funny Games - MDK - Classic PC Game

MDK
What did it stand for? Murder Death Kill? Mission Deliver Kindness?

Whatever it stood for it doesn't matter. This is one of the most innovative, playable, surreal and humorous PC games ever released.

Released in 1997 by Interplay and developed by the awesomely named Shiny Entertainment, this game was hotly anticipated prior to it's release.

It also made it's way onto Mac and Playstation - but for this article we will feature the PC version. Either way it was a great game on all formats that blended arcade action with strategy and a lot of laughs.


MDK is a bona fide classic game

The game told the story of Kurt Hectic (great name!) and his attempts to rescue Earth from an alien invasion of gigantic mining city-vehicles (called 'Minecrawlers'), that were not only removing all of earth's natural resources, but were also flattening any people and cities that stood in their way. Nasty!

The game combined the alien whupping arcade action with a huge dose of humour and also featured a 'sniper mode' that allowed the player to smoothly zoom in on enemy targets.

The humour in this game began the moment you first opened it; the instruction booklet was packed full of humour and was written in the form of a diary by an eccentric inventor called Dr. Fluke Hawkins.

It is Dr Hawkins that discovered the incoming invasion and who also invented the armour plated 'coil suit' and weapons that you (as Kurt) wear and use throughout the game.

This is a computer game that oozed class from begining to end with it's frantic arcade action, superb level layout, fantastic in-game music and off the wall humour.

If you have never played this game please give it a go - you will not be disappointed. In fact you will 'feel top'!

A classic funny game:


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Funny Games - Battle Chess - Classic Commodore Amiga Game

Battle Chess Commodore Amiga
Ahhh after a nice holiday what better game to get me back into the Funny Games mood than good old Battle Chess on the Commodore Amiga?

Electronic Arts gave us this classic game back in 1988 and it did help to bring the game of chess to those that probably would have never even considered it.

For those that enjoy a game of chess then this game had it all; great AI from the computer opponent, classic chess gameplay, a nicely implemented two player option and a bucket load of humour when your animated chess pieces destroyed an opponents piece.

Medieval battles had never been so much fun...

Battle Chess Loads Up...

All of the rules of chess were present in the game with varying levels of difficulty to choose from.

But - the real hook for this game was the animated chess characters (which were very nicely drawn) and the over the top mini battles that took place as one piece took another.

Sometimes it was worth sacrificing a piece just to see how it would be 'killed'!

Even if you wanted a more 'serious' game of chess then the character animations could be turned off, but for players like me the animations were a huge bonus. It was nice to have the option to disable the animations though if you fancied a fast paced game.

All in all this is a true classic game for the Commodore Amiga (and versions were also released for the CD32 and DOS) that plenty of gamers have fond memories of.

If you have never tried this game then please give it a go - you will enjoy the gameplay and the variety of 'deaths' will never fail to make you chuckle.


Mayhem will shortly ensue...

This game was a great showcase piece for the Amiga back in 1988 and really showed us that 8-bit power had truly arrived.

Classic Gaming


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Funny Games - Boston Bomb Club - Classic Commodore Amiga Game

Boston Bomb Club Commodore Amiga
Ahh now this is a lesser known gem of a game that is addictive, puzzling and above all, funny.

Let's take a look at a funny game for the Commodore Amiga that despite being well recieved, passed many people by back in the day.

Silmarils gave us this classic game back in the early 1990's and it was praised for it's wacky storyline, challenging puzzles and off the wall humour.

Set in the late 19th century, a mad scientist had created the 'Boston Bomb Club' to cater for the more senior gentleman who enjoyed a bit of bomb puzzling. Yep, it's definately something different from the get go.

The game was all about making a path for some famous cartoon style bombs (complete with fizzing fuses) to make it across a table (think of the classic game Pipeline).

What made this game funny was the random events that would happen whilst you were playing.

Jazz musicians would would pop up and obscure part of the playing area, babies (yep babies in a bomb club!) would crawl across the table and mess up your strategy and other patrons would lean across and alter your carefully laid plans.

Annoying? Sometimes yes!
Funny? Most of the time.

The whole setting of the game was dipped in humour, with the stereotyped gentlemen customers, to the busty maids announcing which level you were on and the cartoon styled graphics.

For fans of puzzle games it pretty much ticked all of the boxes and gave you a right old jolly laugh along the way.

Please give this game a try, it's well worth a play and you will no doubt chuckle a little.

It's a famous bar in Boston - I wonder if it was renamed to 'Cheers' in the 1980's? - Classic Gaming



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Funny Games - Brian Bloodaxe - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

Brian Bloodaxe ZX Spectrum
Now this really was a funny game from The Edge back in 1985.

With one of the most hilarious game intro's ever (I'm sure it must have fooled some Spectrum users back in the day) to set the scene - you just knew this classic game was going to be a laugh from the beginning.

This game was a very good platformer in the vein of Technician Ted, Jet Set Willy and Fahrenheit 3000 and perhaps does not recieve the recognition it deserves.

But back in the day it did make me laugh a little...

What other game would have you playing the part of a Viking lord with plans to conquer Great Britain? What other game allowed you to impale enemies with your horned helmet?
What other game had you replenishing your energy by drinking pints of beer?

With weird and wacky sprites to contend with (including Daleks!) this game had the right blend of funnies and arcade action.

But for me the whole intro scene is one of the best ever on the ZX Spectrum...

The humour began in this classic game as soon as the game was loaded...



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Funny Games - Worms: Directors Cut - Classic Commodore Amiga 1200 Game

Worms: Directors Cut Amiga 1200
For me this is the DEFINITIVE version of the classic two player game Worms and Team 17 software peaked the Worms franchise with this one.

All of these games have been extremely funny with the right blend of cartoony backgrounds, game characters that you actually feel for, brilliant character voices and a superb range of weapons to choose from.

The mid to late 1990's versions of the Worms games were for me, the best (with the DOS versions being great fun too) but this version for the good old Amiga 1200 is for me, the best.

This classic game was not only fun for two (or more) players, but it also made you laugh too.

With it's vicious weapons, simpering deaths and cute little voices it had it all - you couldn't help but laugh as 'Oh Dear' echoed from your speakers as another little blighter bit the dust.

With back chatter from the in-game characters such as 'You'll regret that','Watch this','Revenge','Perfect', 'Bye Bye' and 'Perfect' it made for an all round superb gaming experience.

The inclusion of a level designer kept the humour and gameplay fresh, and the varying weapons and voices wrapped the whole package nicely.

If you like two player games and a laugh please give this one a go.

Not only is it a truly funny game it is also one of the last ever titles released for the Commodore Amiga and made use of the cleaner looking AGA chipset. The backgrounds were very nicely drawn and designed and fitted the games humorous atmosphere perfectly.

Worms: Directors Cut will still make you laugh after all these years. Perfect!

The Amiga 1200 version of this classic funny game:


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Funny Games - Mean Arena's - Classic Commodore Amiga Game

Mean Arena's Amiga
A classic game that was set in a bleak future (2093 to be exact) where TV is the prime form of entertainment to the masses.

In this classic title for the Commodore Amiga you had to take part in a game show where your life, as well as pots of cash and big prizes, was on the line.

No, it's not Smash TV and you are not called Ben Richards either - it is the legendary funny game, Mean Arena's.



This title was a funny game due to it's cheesy hosts 'Buzz' and 'Bob' who welcomed the player to the game (show). They hit the nail firmly on the head with the presenters and backdrop - right down to the wonky Channel 27 sign.

Throughout the game there were sampled sounds of a baying crowd and the Buzz and Bob would weigh in with little snippets of commentary which really added to the atmosphere.



The game was actually a nice mix of puzzle and arcade action, which borrowed heavily from the likes of Pacman and Gauntlet.



All in all the Amiga was blessed with some good 'gameshow' type titles, such as this one, the great conversion of Smash TV and also Fiendish Freddy's Big Top 'O Fun.

If you like classic games such as Gauntlet and Pacman then give Mean Arena's a go - it'll make you laugh at the same time.

The intro set the scene for this funny game:


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Funny Games - Cannon Fodder - Classic Funny Game

Cannon Fodder Game
Ahh, war never been so much fun eh?

Sensible Software's 1993 action game for the Commodore Amiga garnered a lot of controversy due it being seen as slightly tasteless.

This game turned out to be a cracker which had everything; arcade action, superb gameplay, character in spades and a huge dollop of humour.

As soon as the game started up you just knew you were in for a real treat...



The intro tune to this game has gone down in the annals of gaming legends - it really was that good and younger gamers may not realise just how amazing it was to have an entire song playing from a game installed on a floppy disk - on a machine with 1MB of RAM.

Funny and brilliantly done - I'll let the tune speak for itself:


Enjoyable if you have a slightly sick sense of humour perhaps? (Like me)

Anyway - the funnies didn't stop there. The game generated a cartoony type atmosphere and mixed it in with arcade action, violence and plenty of blood n guts.



This game was the perfect mix of arcade gaming, strategy and level design.

With different weapons to collect, buildings to destroy and slow agonising deaths the game could become really intense. The tension was broken by the jolly end of level ditty though, and watching the new recruits come through the gates was great fun.



The sensible team even when the whole hog and dressed up in military gear for the game - another move that was seen as a little bit 'bad taste'. It never bothered me anyway.

Cannon Fodder - a classic game that could also make you laugh.

The melancholy recruitment music:


Classic Gameplay:

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Funny Games - Smash TV - Classic Funny Game

Smash TV Arcade Game
The classic arcade game from Williams was released back in 1990.

This game combined fast paced arcade gaming, humorous voice overs and over the top violence to create a gaming experience that was addictive, great to play and also made you laugh.

The game was also converted to a host of home computers such as the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC 464, Commodore Amiga and Atari ST. These home conversions were published by Ocean Software.



The arcade game 'plot line' borrowed heavily from the movie 'The Running Man'; in this game you took part in a futuristic game show based on ultra violence, mass weapons, destruction, big prizes, lots of cash and 'total carnage'.
(We LOVE it!)

This game was a total laugh (in a slightly sick way) from beginning to end. With it's cheesy game-show host, voice over samples shouting 'Total carnage... I love it!', over the top violence and crazy body count that John Woo would be proud of, it was graphical humorous eyeball popping deaths whilst you won yourself a new toaster.

For one or two players (best fun with two players) you took part in this futuristic game show laying waste to hordes of 'bad guys' collecting money and prizes from the game arena.

Armed with powerful weapons such as grenade launchers, spinning discs of death and three way firing handguns you could mow down the masses relentlessley.

Each end of level boss was funny (check out Mutoid Man at the end of level one) and took a fair amount of killing.



Gruesome deaths saw footwear and eyeballs flying through the air, and the fact that you earned tons of cash and a countless amount of white-goods for basically murdering people was always worth a laugh.

This is one of my favourite arcade games of all time (and I also loved Amiga Smash TV) - to sum up; 'I'd buy that for a dollar!'

Classic Arcade Action:


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Funny Games - Rise Of The Robots - Classic Funny Game

Rise Of The Robots
This game was never supposed to be funny - but it was so bad it was almost good.

Hyped up more than the next release from Ultimate, this was supposed to be the best ever fighting game featuring advanced opponent AI, a huge variety of game characters, superb backdrops, adrenaline pumping arcade action and the ultimate animated ray traced characters.

One out of five wasn't bad I suppose...

The characters looked cool when they were stationary.

Anyway - this game was released on the Commodore Amiga, A1200, Amiga CD32, SNES, Megadrive and more. It was even given the classic arcade cabinet treatment - how this happened I'll never know.

Here is a 'teaser trailer' for the game hyping up just how great this was going to be:

The latest development in arcade game technology:


As far as I remember the game ended up being pretty similar to the 'work in progress' screens shown in the video above.

There was no enemy AI (which had been done years earlier in Karate Champ and Way Of The Exploding Fist), no real variety of moves (each move pretty much did the same thing and it was a lottery if a blow was landed or not)

I played it on a friends SEGA Mega Drive - and you guessed it, I laughed my ass off. I found that pressing the same joypad and buttons repeatedly got me through round after round as I defeated each opponent with ease.

I was either I was the greatest ever arcade gamer or the game was extremely sh*t. I vote for the latter.

This game was sooo bad it was funny. We've all played some dross over the years (Flight Path 737 anyone?), and this one is up there with the best / worst of 'em.

Of course this (now classic game for all the wrong reasons) has been slated to the max over the years (and rightly so) - and for me it's the video game equivalent of a golden raspberry. A real funny game - no matter what system you played it on - they were all equally as bad as each other.

There were poor games, there were crap games, there were sh*t games, and then there was RISE OF THE ROBOTS. To this day it remains funny.

Classic Arcade Action (ahem) on the Amiga:


Classic Arcade Action on the Megadrive:


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Funny Games - Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O' Fun - Classic Funny Game

Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O' Fun
Ahh now Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O' Fun was a hilarious arcade game, no matter what system you played it on.

It originally appeared on the Atari ST, IBM PC and Commodore Amiga, before later being converted to 8-bit machines such as the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC 464.

For the purposes of this I think the Amiga version is the best to look at - the machine had the qualities to create the right sort of cartoony and carnival atmoshpere. It's a real funny game...

Basically the game was pure slapstick from start to finish - and you had to perform six acts to perfection. The reason why was shown to you in a humorous opening scene that was straight out of Warner Bros Cartoons with the 'contract' shown and the speedy way the characters exited the screen.

The game was similar to many of the multi-event sports games of the time (such as Hypersports).

However, Fiendish Freddy differed not only by its surroundings (circus events) offering a comedy element, it also offered a loose plot and a clear goal of winning $10,000. Bring it on!

It's all slapstick action for each event. Watch your high-diver being blown off course by a giant hair dryer, check out your tight-rope walker as his fingers are removed from the rope one by one (even if you win you loose!), see the ridiculous items you have to juggle whilst riding a unicycle and so on.

The funniest thing for me in this classic game was the judges. Instead of giving accurate scores for each event they resort to poking each other in the eyes, punching each other, choking each other and flinging custard pies across the screen. Still, they are more sensible than Louis Walsh.

All in all this is the type of game the Commodore Amiga was built for; the graphics, sound effects and music are all spot on - and it ran even better on an A1200 with a hard-disk as the amount of disk swapping got a little annoying on a single drive machine.

Make sure you see the end of game sequence, it'll make you chortle.

Classic Game Action - Funny Stuff (Amiga Version):


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Funny Games - Terrormolinos - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

Terrormolinos ZX Spectrum
Another funny game on my beloved ZX Spectrum (don't worry I'll be covering other formats, honest!) that really did make me laugh back in '86.

This classic game from Melbourne House was a text adventure based around the classic British package holiday abroad. It was released towards the end of 1985.

The aim of the game was to survive a two-week family package holiday (in the fictional resort of Terrormolinos - note the play on words in the title) with your wife Beryl and the kids Doreen and Ken.

They even got the characters names just right for a Speccy game like this.

This classic game was completed by taking ten photographs - allowing for a variety of snaps depending on when and where you chose to take them.

This is where the real character and humour of the game stood out. At the end of the game your snaps could be viewed in a slide-show style giving you reminders of your trip.

At points during the game you were bound to make a fatal mistake, and a nice snap would appear (perhaps of you being burned to a crisp by the sun) showing your error.

Even the cassette inlay had a suitably cheesy design:

Terrormolinos was a funny game from beginning to end. From your house in Slough with it's tacky wallpaper, paintings and ornaments, the typical resort hotel, the nightclubs complete with dancers throwing their 'moves' and so on.

The developers paid a lot of attention to detail and got the tone, jokes and atmosphere of the game just right.

In fact, you would probably have more fun playing this text adventure than the real thing!

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Funny Games - Cobra - Classic ZX Spectrum Game

Cobra ZX Spectrum
I'm kicking off this blog with an arcade game by perhaps the greatest ever programmer to grace my favourite 8-bit computer, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum.

Jonathan Smith programmed the game of the movie back in 1986, and it was as hilarious as it was brilliant.

As soon as this classic game loaded up you just knew you were in for a real treat.

If you elected to redefine the keyboard controls you were asked to choose Up, Down, Left, Right... and 'Murder'! Not the usual 'Fire', but 'Murder'. Genious!

From the 'Rocky' inspired music ditty on beginning the game, to the cartoon style sprites (moving across perhaps the most impressive scrolling ever on the Speccy) this game was funny from the word go.

Prams would make our hero go weak at the knees, your lives were represented as boxing gloves, baddies were headbutted away (sending them flying across the screen) and eating hamburgers gave you a temporary weapons powerup.

Your weapons powerup time limit was represented by a slowly dissolving rubber duck - once again nothing to do with the movie but utterly funny!


The incidental little tunes were lively and fitted the style of the game superbly.

When all of your lives were gone it was 'game under' and you could enter your name in 'the morgue'.

This game was a rarity. It was better than the film it was (loosly) based on, was very playable, a technical marvel and made the player laugh. Funny stuff and a true classic game from Ocean Software.

Classic Arcade Action:


Classic Games, Arcade Games and Funny Games

Funny Games|

Classic Games|

Arcade Games

Welcome to Funny Games

Hello all.

This blog will look at funny games from the past and present.
For those that read my other blogs you will know that I am a huge fan of retro gaming and retro computers.

This blog will feature games across many formats, from the 8-bit era, the 16-bit era, online browser based game and modern consoles.

There have been many funny games over the years and I aim to look at as many of them as possible. Suggestions welcome!

Cheers,
The Retro Brothers.

Funny Games|

Classic Games|

Arcade Games

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Funny Games|

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Arcade Games