''Garfield: Winter's Tail'' is a game based on the Jim Davis comic strip, ''

Garfield ''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the t ...

''. It was released in 1989 for

Amiga Amiga is a family of personal computers introduced by Commodore International, Commodore in 1985. The original model is one of a number of mid-1980s computers with 16- or 32-bit processors, 256 KB or more of RAM, mouse-based GUIs, and sign ...

Amstrad CPC The Amstrad CPC (short for ''Colour Personal Computer'') is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the S ...

, Atari ST (will not work on Atari STe computers), Commodore 64 and

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

. It is the fourth video game to be based on Jim Davis' ''

'' Comics.

Plot

Garfield has fallen asleep in his bed in front of an open refrigerator, dreaming about having an adventure in northern Italy and Switzerland, in which his quest is to find a lasagna factory and the chocolate-egg-laying chicken.

Gameplay

The game is divided into an Action sports game where fast reaction is needed (Skiing & Skating level) and some sort of

puzzle A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzle ...

game (Chocolate Factory). The player will encounter some familiar faces from the Garfield comics (like

Odie Odie is a fictional dog who appears in the comic strip ''Garfield'' by Jim Davis. He has also made appearances in the animated television series ''Garfield and Friends'' and ''The Garfield Show'', two live-action/ CGI feature films, and three f ...

and

Jon Arbuckle Jonathan Q. Arbuckle is a fictional character from the '' Garfield'' comic strip by Jim Davis. He also appears in the animated television series '' Garfield and Friends'' and ''The Garfield Show'', two live-action/ CGI feature films, and thre ...

), but the player can control only Garfield. Garfield’s energy meter is pictured with his face from happy to sad, getting sadder by every accident. If he loses too much energy he wakes up (sometimes in fright). Skiing & Lasagna Factory

hits the slopes on a pair of skis, while the player guides him past obstacles like trees, bushes, rocks, and stumps. The player is then joined by Odie who uses, unlike Garfield, a dustbin lid to slide down the hill. There are also spectators on the side of the route, holding food that Garfield and Odie could grab to gain back energy. As he jumps on the big ramp at the end of the hill, Garfield reaches the top of the Lasagna Factory. Once in the Lasagna Factory, Garfield eats as much lasagna as he can until

ends the fun by blowing out the fire from the lasagna oven. Chocolate Factory
To find the chocolate-egg-laying chicken, Garfield has to manipulate the indicators on the feeding pipes in the factory. Garfield is losing energy, therefore he has to eat all kinds of food lying on the floor. He is once again joined by Odie who tries to steal the food. Skating on the frozen lake
Garfield has to reach the other side of the lake to get to the Swiss village in pursuit of the escaped chocolate-egg-laying chicken, avoiding all obstacles and holes in the ice. Odie is also with him; sporadically sawing a hole into the ice. Garfield can gain energy by eating the chocolate chicken footprints.

Reception

The reviews were mixed; despite its good presentation, it was heavy criticized for the bad design and controls. ''The graphics are cute and cuddly and Garfield is his usual canine-punting, lasagna-gobbling self.'' - 80% - The Games Maschine ''The gameplay that is present is also very simple, but Garfield fans will no doubt enjoy this light-hearted, lightweight licence.'' - 63% - Zzap ''Once again though, good presentation is let down by a poor game design.'' - 43% -

Amiga Format ''Amiga Format'' was a British computer magazine for Amiga computers, published by Future plc. The magazine lasted 136 issues from 1989 to 2000. The magazine was formed when, in the wake of selling '' ACE'' to EMAP, Future split the dual-format ...

''Garfield can only sit and wait, and hope that some talented individual with the patience of job can finish the game and rescue him from this nightmare that "The Edge" created.'' - 39% -

Amiga Computing ''Amiga Computing'' was a monthly computer magazine of a serious nature, published by Europress and IDG in both the UK and USA. A total of 117 issues came out. The games section was called Gamer, although later ''Amiga Action ''Amiga Action' ...

''Amiga Computing'' Vol. 2 No. 6 (November 1989)

References

External links

''Garfield Winter's Tail''
on

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...

''Garfield Winter's Tail''
on LemonAmiga {{Garfield 1989 video games Amiga games Amstrad CPC games Atari ST games Commodore 64 games Video games based on Garfield Video games developed in the United Kingdom Video games scored by David Lowe ZX Spectrum games Single-player video games