The ZX Spectrum version of Taito‘s The NewZealand Story was programmed by Gerald Weatherup of Choice, and was published by Ocean Software in 1989. And it is a decent port of the cute and colourful arcade game – except without the colour…

The main play window is shown mostly in monochrome, and the ‘push’ scrolling isn’t ideal, but the gameplay is fast enough to make the game playable and fun. The recognisable background music from the original plays throughout, and is well-suited to the Spectrum.

The NewZealand Story is multi-load, which means having to load each level separately – even on a 128K Spectrum – and the gameplay is the same as the original: take Tiki the Kiwi through a maze of traps and enemies, and rescue his girlfriend (Phee Phee) at the end of each level.

Tiki can jump and fire arrows; can swim (and spit water at enemies, while in the water), and can also ride on balloons and pilot other flying vehicles whenever he finds them. Occasionally he must also face – and beat – a boss, to continue onward.

If I had any criticisms of this port, it would be that the time limits are a little unfair, and the game doesn’t even show you how much time you have left before sending the invincible devil monster after you. In some cases, it’s impossible to complete a level in the allotted time.

In spite of that, The NewZealand Story on the Spectrum is a respectable arcade port, and another fine release from the prolific Ocean Software.

More: The NewZealand Story on Wikipedia
More: The NewZealand Story on World of Spectrum