Treasure Island Dizzy

Developer: The Highlanders	Graphics:
Publisher: Codemasters	Sound:
Year: 1989	Difficulty:
Genre: Platformer	Replay Value:
Number of players: 1	My overall rating:	5/10

Old folks keep telling us: video games drive people crazy, video games make you violent and angry, video games turn you into degenerated psychopaths.
Well they are right! This is a perfect example:

1:
A little game with a colorful welcoming music.
A sympathetic character in the shape of an egg with funny animations.
A vast world to explore and loads of stuff to pick-up.

2:
Background music that plays in a loop.
One life. No energy bar. It means that the slightest contact with a butterfly or a caterpillar is lethal.
Every time you die, you lose all your items and you start again from the beginning.
(You didn't know? Go back to 1.)

3:
Music a bit repetitive. Anyway.
Invisible traps that cannot be avoided the first time.
(If you fell for it, return to 1. Count at least 2 or 3 tries per trap, we will save time.)

4:
Sometimes, while moving from one screen to another, enemies pop onto your position. Just like that. For fun.
(Return to 1.)

5:
A "3 slots" inventory. If you pick up a fourth object, the first one falls to the ground.
If the falling object is the tuba and if you are under water, you drown!
(Return to 1.)

6:
Music is unbearable.
In some places, you find yourself stuck. Such jokers these programmers!
(Return to 1.)

7:
After several hours, you finally get to the end.
You meet a ship merchant who tells you that he will let you leave if you bring him 30 coins.
Problem: you have searched the island thoroughly, even bought a magazine with the complete solution that you have followed step by step, and you do not have half of them!

8:
15 years later. Thanks to internet, you can now get this straight, and you discover that many coins are simply invisible, scattered here and there in the scenery without the slightest clue to mark their location.
You find yourself compelled to start over, obviously, but on top of that, to click on every square centimeter of every screen to look for hidden coins.
In doing so, you fall into 15 traps, hit 12 octopuses, 9 butterflies, 56 grasshoppers and 183 torches, forgot to mention those damn torches.
(Return to 1. Again, again, again. . . .)< p> 9:
Music . . . oh the music . . . gniiiii . . . I go kill the cat, be right back!
"Meoowww!"
"You fuck my wife?"
Not the jacket! I have not finished! I don't have every coin yet!

* * *

So there. You've been warned. This is an original game, rather the kind to use as a coaster. But I assure you, Treasure Island Dizzy is by far the hardest of the series and the most frustrating. It can be found in the Dizzy Collection.

Additionally, note that Dizzy is a true franchise with numerous fan clubs. The first game called Dizzy: The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure was released on Amstrad CPC, C64 and ZX Spectrum in 1986. Fifteen or so titles have followed on Amiga and 16-bit consoles. Some simple arcade games but mainly adventure / platformer where you have to find items to solve puzzles.

Places to download:
Planet Emulation
The Game Archives
The Old Computer

Other sites of interest:
The Dizzy Fansite
Dizzy and The Other Side
Pixel Dizzy

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