Fans of the old arcade game will enjoy it, at least

If you ddidn't like the old Q*bert arcade game from the early 1980s, you probably want to pass on this title. That's because the title -- which is certainly a good game -- relies on nostalgia as much as anything else to sell this game. Obviously, Hasbro Interactive had fans of the classic Q*bert game in mind when this was defined.

For folks not familiar with Q*bert, it was one of the oddest games released in the days when arcade games ruled supreme. Q*bert is an orange fellow with a long snout and no arms. In the arcade game, Q*bert hopped around on a triangular structure in an attempt to hit all the individual cubes on it and change them to a different color. Why was Q*bert doing that? Well, the answer is that was his goal in life -- that's what he did.

See, arcade games from the early 1980s were typically fitted with rather thin stories that were meant to justify the abstract concepts of games. Q*bert wasn't an exception to that rule.

As for this version of Q*bert, it's pretty much what you'd expect from Hasbro Interactive. That company, of course, purchased the licensing rights to Atari games a couple of years ago, and came out with re-vamped versions of old Atari games such as Centipede. The updated arcade games from Hasbro all appeal to one segment of the gaming market -- people who are nostalgic about the old games.

And, Hasbro Interactive tends to slap a three-dimensional facelift on those games. In Q*Bert, that all works very well. After all, the game was always a quasi-3D affair. It looks even better when three-dimensional objects are added to the game as the title was always designed to represent a 3D world, anyway.

As for the gameplay, you get three modes -- classic, adventure and multiplayer. In the classic mode, the player is charged with simply changing the colors of the cubes by hopping on them. Of course, villains such as Coily the snake are back to reinforce the idea that they like the cubes just as they are.

In the adventure mode, things get a bit more complex. Different layouts are featured, and Q*Bert has the goal of rescuing his friends. That's just a bit different from the classic version, but still plays about the same. There are "power ups" available that give Q*bert shields and such, and that's a nice twist, too.

The multiplayer variation is just like the name suggests -- more than one person can hop on the playing field and just go crazy.

As for the graphics, they're crisp and clear. There's nothing fancy there, but the programmers were wise in retaining as much of the Q*Bert game as they could in a home version.

The only real gripe I have about this game has to do with the controls. See, Q*Bert is had to control unless you know now the thing operates. Make one mistake, and you'll be squashed by a "bad guy" or fall of the game board into nothingness.

The sound is sparse, to say the least. You get some inoffensive music during the games. The best sound effect comes from Q*bert himself as he curses in a language that was made up to convey Q*bert is upset. Sure, no one can understand that language, but it works well.

So, if you were a fan of Q*bert at the arcade, this game might make a good one to buy. Besides, the price is right -- I paid $10 for mine at Wal-Mart.