''Bear Bovver'' is a

platform game A platformer (also called a platform game, and sometimes a jump 'n' run game) is a subgenre of action game in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are characterized by levels wi ...

written by

Jon Ritman Jon Ritman is a game designer and programmer notable for his work on 1980s computer games, primarily for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC home computers. Career His first experience with a computer was when he was 13, his first computer was a ...

for the

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer developed and marketed by Sinclair Research. One of the most influential computers ever made and one of the all-time bestselling British computers, over five million units were sold. ...

and published in 1983 by

Artic Computing Artic Computing was a software development company based in Brandesburton, England from 1980 to 1986. The company's first games were for the Sinclair ZX81 home computer, but they expanded and were also responsible for various ZX Spectrum, Commod ...

. A

Commodore 64 The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in ...

port was released in 1984. ''Bear Bovver'' is a '' BurgerTime'' clone, where batteries take the place of the burger ingredients.

Gameplay

Ted's Sinclair electric truck has broken down and needs new batteries. Ted must climb up the scaffolding and collect the batteries for his electric car. However, there are bovver bears around the site and if they get near, they will capture him. To get rid of them, Ted must use time bombs that are scattered around the site. Once all the batteries for the car he been collected, the player moves on to the next level. The game also includes "Baby Bear Mode" in which a player can collect batteries and move around the site without ever getting captured.

Development

After seeing ''BurgerTime'' and hearing that Sinclair were talking about the release of an electric car, Jon Ritman decided to combine the concepts to create ''Bear Bovver''. He began to use a more complex development system, joining 2 Spectrums and 3 Microdrives. He developed on one Spectrum and tested the game on the other. This allowed the games being developed to be larger. It was published by

for the ZX Spectrum in 1983 and 1984 for the Commodore 64.

Reception

''Bear Bovver'' received generally positive reception. '' Crash'' staff praised the animation and sound, and called the game "enjoyable" and "addictive". ''

Sinclair User The ''Sinclair User'' was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum (while also occasionally covering arcade games). Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was pub ...

'' called the premise "brilliant" and stated that it would likely stand among players' top 10 ZX Spectrum games. ''

Computer and Video Games ''Computer and Video Games'' (also known as ''CVG'', ''Computer & Video Games'', ''C&VG'', ''Computer + Video Games'', or ''C+VG'') is a British-based video game magazine, published in its original form between 1981 and 2004. Its offshoot web ...

'' felt it was a good fit for younger players, especially because of the practice mode.

References

External links

* * 1983 video games Artic Computing games Commodore 64 games Platformers Single-player video games Video game clones Video games about bears Video games developed in the United Kingdom ZX Spectrum games {{platform-videogame-stub