Return of the Qwak

You may remember that a few months ago we reported on one man’s mission to bring classic Amiga platformer Qwak to the Game Boy Advance. That man was Jamie Woodhouse – the sole designer and programmer of the original. With promises crushed by publishers – some of which wanted to totally re-skin the game – Jamie decided to consign the code to plastic himself. The result is an officially unofficial Game Boy Advance cartridge, produced in a limited run of 300 copies.

qwakb.JPGThe game itself is a fast paced ditty, comparable to Bubble Bobble and other games of yore. The idea is to guide Orville lookalike Qwak around eight themed worlds, collecting fruit and finding keys. You’ll probably get turned into roast duck – literally – on your first few goes, but once you get the hang of bouncing eggs off walls and such you’ll be hooked like a plastic duck at the fair. A fine soundtrack and the chance to save high scores rounds it off nicely.

Orders can be placed at qwak.co.uk, where you’ll also find additional screenshots, a video and a downloadable PC demo. For £15 you get a copy of the game (ours came on a neat translucent blue cartridge), an instruction manual and a case to keep it in. If you’re feeling generous – ‘tis the season, after all – you can opt to buy two copies for £27 or three for £38, and pass the spares on. Or perhaps save them for eBay – once all 300 copies are gone, it’s bound to become “R@RE”.

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