AC CD-ROM minimum system requirements: 486DX/33mhz; 8MB RAM; Windows 3.1 or 95: Dual speed CD-ROM drive; VGA. £29.99
JOEY And The Monsters have been given the sort of break every rock band needs to make it into the big time - their promoter has secured them a slot at Woodstock.
Unfortunately, the morning they are supposed to travel to the gig Joey decides to have a bit of a lie-in and when Joey gets into a deep sleep it is almost impossible to wake him.
After many futile attempts to get Joey up on his feet, his monster friends resort to blowing him out of the bed with stacks of TNT. While this does manage to wake Joey out of his slumber the" resulting explosion not only blows California off the map but also scatters his friends across America. Now Joey is faced with the task of rounding them up and making it to Woodstock in just four hours.
And that is exactly the amount of time you have to get Joey and the rest of the band across America. With the clock ticking away, Joey jumps into his car and takes to the highway and heads for the first location - he sits in the seat but it's up to you to grab the wheel and take control. This is your chance 10 pick up, ammunition, extra lives, point bonuses and turbo boosts.
The road is strewn with obstacles and if you steer Joey the wrong way and crash he will lose valuable time - the bigger the obstacle the more time lost, so hitting an oncoming truck will cost you more dearly than hitting a rabbit.
At each location - all are well known US landmarks - Joey has to grunt, jump, and belly bump his way past anyone who might try to stop him uniting his band. Being a bit of slob, Joey has a bigger-than-big beer gut and he uses this to great effect. For the more tricky opponents, he has to resort to using the ammunition he collected en route.
In this wackiest of platformers the main objective on each level is to locate your monster friend and only then (saving your game as you go) can you hit the road again and continue your search.
Arcade America is a novel game bursting at the seams with colour and imagination. Although the gameplay isn't ground-breaking.
its presentation and cartoon-like characters and graphics make it all the more enjoyable. If you do make it to Woodstock in the allotted time, Joey And The Monsters will treat you to an exclusive performance. What more incentive do you need?
Graphics. 94%, Sound: 92%, Gameplay: 88%