Hi Tech Software stretched beyond their self set limitations when they released Dino, Lost in Bedrock. Concentrating mostly on the Amiga and the Commodore 64, Hi Tech Software can be commended for a pretty solid platform game based on the popular Hanna Barbera cartoon set in the stone age. The game features many of the characters that Flintstones fans have come to know and love, and will surely be a big hit for fans of the classic animated series. Everything about this game, from the feel to the subject, just screams RETRO!
While Dino Lost in Bedrock does support a joystick, the user will find that the keyboard is much more user friendly.
The scroll is from left to right and is fairly smooth for the era of creation, but is choppy by modern standards.
The gamer will play as either Fred or Barney, the two main male protagonists from the animated show. Fred’s precocious pet dinosaur Dino is missing, and the Flintstones and Rubbles team up to try to find him. It is a stereotypical plot out of one of the cartoon episodes, and you will find yourself all over Bedrock seeking the silly purple pooch. That, in fact, is the best thing about this game. All of the characters (animal and human) and the places are reflective of the popular series. It is much more fun to meet the characters
and see where you end up next than it is to actually play the game.
The game play, on that note, involves maneuvering Fred or Barney through a variety of obstacles on each level to get them closer to the goal of finding Dino. You can’t play as both of them at the same time, but you will get to play them both at one time or another. There are a lot of weird dinosaurs and lizards to contend with, which work to make the game interesting. Some of them will be remembered by die hard fans of the cartoon series as background dinosaurs as Fred and Barney are footing it down the road or as family tools. The game is a jump and run and it will require the user to really be on top of his game in order to succeed since the game is riddled with tricky spots and difficult leaps, made harder by a unique control system.
Overall, this is not the most playable game on the planet and it does not have flashy modern graphics. However, it is corny and classic, like the show it was based on, and will probably be best served in the hands of people who truly enjoyed the series.
