The Addams Family is a classic platformer in every respect. The license is from a classic film, the film is a remake of a classic TV series and the game, game-play and graphics are all top notch. Being fully licensed, the gamer will see all of his favorite characters and settings from the aforementioned entertaining bits.
In the game, you play as Gomez Addams, though a much shorter, rounder-headed one than Raul Julia. Your task is to round up the rest of the family from the depths of the Addams' residence, for only when they are together can you play the full Addams Family tune and open the vault where your arch-nemesis Tully has taken up residence.
The sheer size of this game is not something that can be ignored. In spite of the fact that it was released on what seemed like a measly single disk, every section is absolutely enormous, extending not only left to right but up, down and through diagonals. As you travel from room to room you truly get a sense of being lost in the Addams' world and yet still the structure of moving from one room to the next always makes you want to know what's behind the next door...
The game starts with Gomez at the mansion with the hallway of many doors. Each one takes you to a different section of the house and gives you the kind of rich freedom usually only seen in Megaman games with
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(almost) every level available from the start. However, as Gomez only has the "jumping-on-heads" method of dispatching his enemies throughout the game, it is theoretically possible to complete every area from the get go. Don't let that fool you into thinking this game is easy though. Some levels are far more difficult than others; be they (slightly more) enormous, full of enemies or covered with hazards and tests of joystick dexterity, they all have a challenge that will test the untrained facet of your prowess. Helpfully, though, you start the game with only three hit-points, represented by hearts. There will be plenty more available as you explore the house and rescue each family member, so once you've completed one section (I recommend the top of the Big Tree outside) the rest become that little bit easier, in terms of having more hit points.
Each area of the house holds a different Addams or an extra heart and a special theme ranging from the platforming staple of "icy" in the Freezer to the "fauna gone wrong" of the Conservatory and although some of the basic traits of your adversaries are often the same, the graphical style of each area is richly mirrored in the sprites themselves.
In short I have loved this game since I played a demo on a coverdisk many years ago and it still raises my mood to hear the music and the various sounds that Gomez makes in his journey. I'd heartily recommend it to all platforming fans and any kids that are sick of the current trend for the hyper-real ultra-violence and just want to play.
