Pang

STORY / GAMEPLAY
Pang is an arcade platform game that takes you (a young boy) across the world, with a main cause to shoot down bubbles that bounce around the screen. Only when all the bubbles are destroyed you may proceed to the next stage. Your main weapon is a projectile gun that shoots wires (!) that spike the bubbles and can be upgraded through a variety of bonuses! There is also a laser gun (as extra bonus) with which you can shoot the "evil" bubbles from a distance. Other bonuses include a time-freeze clock, a brief shield field, a double-shot wire and more. You can move on the horizontal platforms and go up or down any available ladder that may be nearby. Apart from the bubbles there are additionally some nice little living things like owls or lobsters that occasionally pass across the screen and must be shot as well. Upon spiking them, the large bubbles turn into smaller ones, swarming the screen like mad. The gameplay is awesome and addictive, especially when the game is played in a 2-players mode. Note also that the game is set against a time limit and, as you progress, this time limit decreases! There are 50 levels in total that feature famous sceneries (monuments) from different countries, like the Athens' Acropolis, the Statue of Liberty, Mount Kilimanjaro, Taj Mahal and more. Overall, Pang is among the best coin-op conversions ever made for a number of retro home gaming systems and surely a game that needs some skills since you'll die instantly when touched by a bubble!

GRAPHICS / SOUND
The ZX Spectrum version runs on the 128k machines only and offers pretty good visuals (although the colors are very limited), with smooth animation of the bouncing bubbles, and a level design with famous landmarks on the background. The problem is that color-clash makes the game a bit more difficult as at times it’s hard to distinguish and avoid the little bubbles. The sound of the Spectrum version is good, featuring the original introductory theme, a few sound effects and the original in-game tunes during gameplay.