I read on a forum recently someone saying that the Commodore 16 version of Out On A Limb “smashed” the Commodore 64 version. LOL. This – I can confirm – is a load of old b*llocks – the C64 version is clearly better on all fronts…

For starters: you get some nice digitised speech in this version and it really adds to the atmosphere. “Fee, fi, foe, fumb!” and “I’ll get you next time!” (and other lines) are heard clearly at certain points in the game. The speech does stop the game dead in its tracks, though, so some might think it actually gets in the way rather than adds to the game…

Graphically, the C64 version is also much better than the C16 version, even though – technically – the C16 has a wider colour palette. When comparing screenshots side-by-side you can see that the C64 version uses a slightly higher definition to the C16. It makes the graphics look neater and more precise, in my opinion. There are different enemy placements and smoother sprites and movement in the C64 version too.

That said: I’m not a fan of either version of Out On A Limb. I think both are over-rated, archaic, and difficult to the point of being not very much fun to play.

More: Out On A Limb on zzap64.co.uk