The title of this obscure 1982 arcade game from Pacific Novelty Manufacturing is bad enough, but the gameplay is hilariously “wacky” too. Well, it is kinda crappy, but does have some curiosity value. Mostly because some of the minigames found within are derivative of other famous video games.

The Amazing Adventures of Mr. F. Lea is basically a collection of minigames bound together by one premise, that being: you play a flea and must complete various tasks relating to the behaviour of that insect.

When the game begins you’re given the option of four paths: up, down, left and right, and must move towards the minigame of your choice.

At the top is “Lawnmower“, which is basically a Frogger clone where the flea must move up the screen – avoiding lawnmowers moving left and right – then jump from dog to dog and into the four dog houses at the top of the screen. Before the timers runs down.

To the right is “Dog Hollow“, which is a Donkey Kong clone where the flea must climb a path on a hill – collecting balloons for extra points and avoiding beach balls that roll down the hill – and reach the dog house at the very top. Again: before the timer runs down.

At the bottom is “Dog’s Back“, which is an uphill jumping game where you have to traverse a dog’s back and avoid falling into pits – while collecting balloons for extra points – until you reach its head. Instead of a timer this one has a bar that shows you how close you are to the head. When you reach the top you’re shown a humorous picture of the flea bouncing on the dog’s head.

Finally, to the left is “Dog’s Tail’s” [sic], which is a Jungle Hunt-style ‘swinging-from-rope-to-rope’ game, except instead of ropes you’re swinging on the tails of some dogs. The aim is to reach the dog kennel at the top of the screen before the timers runs down.

While The Amazing Adventures of Mr. F. Lea is a pretty lame game overall, it is one that is worth playing at least once in your life, so you can at cross it off your “bucket list” of “videogames to play before you die“… LOL. It looks like crap, but is playable enough to warrant at least one playthrough. If you have young kids then they might like it. If you don’t, then you’ll probably complete it in one go. And unless you feel like bettering your score you’ll have no reason to ever play it again…

More: The Amazing Adventures of Mr. F. Lea on Wikipedia