Bomberman Special on the MSX is an enhanced version of the original Bomberman, with elements incorporated from the 1985 NES/Famicom version of the game. It was first published by Hudson Soft in 1986.

The game features the famous white Bomberman ‘mascot’ character; the power-ups from the Famicom version; the recognisable in-game tune; the bonus stages, and the same tile graphics as the Famicom version. It doesn’t have the green backgrounds of the Famicom version (which is a good thing, IMHO), nor does it have a multiplayer side of the game.

Bomberman Special does have one fault, though, that makes the game quite frustrating to play, and that is: you can’t seem to drop bombs while you’re moving. If you’re pressing a direction key, and simultaneously press the space bar, a bomb will not drop. Forcing you to stop moving, before dropping a bomb, and then continue moving. While this may seem like a small thing, it does have a significant effect on the gameplay, because you end up having to turn around and try dropping a bomb again if you miss the first time, or lose time having to stop to drop a bomb.

Also: Bomberman‘s extremely slow movement at the very beginning of the game is also frustrating. He should really move a little faster, but waiting for a speed power-up to appear can take a while. So you have to get used to this, until you’re finally able to speed up.

Overall, Bomberman Special does improve on the early version of Bomberman significantly, but it’s also hamstrung by the bomb/movement issue, and the game’s initial slow speed. It’s certainly not the best way to play Bomberman, IMO.

More: Bomberman on Wikipedia