Pink Panther logo

Amiga
Gremlin/Magic Bytes
Price: £19.99

Even panthers need money. Pink one's more so. Our very own Pink Panther has now resorted to going out and working as a butler. Not to wait on his master's every needs, but to burgle his house.

The game starts with Pink waiting for his first task. He can choose the job centre, supermarket of the island paradise. It is advisable to go to the job centre first where the nice man behind the desk tells you of the requirements.

A butler's lot may seem a happy, if not easy one, but the job cards never said anything about the employers being sleepwalkers. And you have guessed it, apart from robbing them blind you have to guide them round the house as well.

To help stop your sleepwalking boss you have a small arsenal of equipment. A carefully placed springboard catapults him into the air and over any objects on the ground. You can also use an inflatable panther to direct him.

Apart from saving the boss and grabbing as much swag as possible there is Inspector Clouseau to deal with. He has been hot on Pink's tail for many years now and will arrest him at a moment's notice.

The people responsible for Pink Panther's graphics have really done a great job in capturing the swaggering style of the panther. Clouseau looks like he has just stepped off the television screen, and the panther's co-star in the cartoon plays the role of the sleepwalker (you know the funny little chap with the big hooter).

The Pink Panther theme tune is included in the game, although it seems as if the main tune is missing and only the bass line is left. The actual in-game tune is good, very reminiscent of the cartoon.

Pink Panther was a potentially good idea but it is over-shadowed by its extreme and sometimes tedious level of difficulty. Fans of the cartoon will love the game, but I recommend the cartoon as a less strenuous form of entertainment.