Streaker (computer game)

Infobox VG| title = Streaker


developer = Bulldog
publisher = Bulldog (Mastertronic)
designer = Geoff Calder
engine =
released = 1987
genre = Arcade adventure
modes = Single player
ratings = N/A
platforms = ZX Spectrum
Amstrad CPC
Commodore 64
media = Compact cassette
requirements =
input = keyboard
Joystick

"Streaker" is an arcade adventure game published by Mastertronic on their "Bulldog" label in 1987. The game runs on Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and Sinclair ZX Spectrum.

Overview

The hero of the game is Carlin, a naked man who has been mugged and stripped, and needs to find all of his clothes. Carlin is in a town on the planet Zuggi, which resembles a town in Earth in many ways, with locations including an hotel, a cafe, a supermarket and a chemist's shop. As Streaker finds more clothes, he is able to enter more and more locations. The game is won when he is fully dressed.

The game is an arcade adventure, somewhere between a puzzle-based adventure game and an action game. Gameplay is controlled through a nested menu system, as in Mastertronic's "Spellbound". There are a multitude of items in the game, many of which can be used and some of which seem to have no purpose. Streaker can pick up keys to open doors, eat food items to raise his hunger levels, and needs to solve a number of simple puzzles.

Game setting

While most aspects of life on Zuggi are very similar to Earth, there are a number of fantastic elements in the world. For example, Streaker may teleport ("beam transfer") by using a number of different coloured beamers. These will teleport Streaker to the location of the corresponding beampad. These beampads can be moved by Streaker and are a good way to avoid thieves. Nice touches include Streaker's ability to advance time by acquiring a stopwatch (the game is played in real time, and you often need to wait for a particular location to open) and the "Save" and "Load" options appearing after Streaker picks up a Tape Recorder.

In-game characters

Streaker's quest is made more difficult by the presence of a number of thieves. They will steal Streaker's clothes on contact, or cause him to lose a life if he is naked. The clothes may be regained from the thieves by finding and offering the thief an item that he wants.

The thieves are as follows:
* Abner: Plays rugby for the pub team. He is terrified of the dark.
* Faust: Used to be good at tricks - now gambles and drinks.
* Jasper: Shops for the hotel - he may be the key to a fortune.
* Cyclops: Is a big eater, he also has an eye for helpful groupiers.
* Golem (n.b. not Gollum): Loves science, robotics and dining out.
* Ladon: Is always on the lookout for sporty visitors. A fruity gent!

Naming

Despite the rather unusual aim of the game, there does not seem to be any prurient content therein. During the 1980s, young children occasionally unwittingly perplexed and embarrassed their teachers by telling them they had spent an evening "playing Streaker".

External links

* [http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0004929 "Streaker"] at World of Spectrum
* [http://www.ysrnry.co.uk/articles/streaker.htm Review of "Streaker"] at "Your Sinclair"
* [http://www.cpcgamereviews.com/s/index16.html Review of "Streaker"] at CPC Game Reviews