Tapper

If you've ever wondered whether you would make a good barman, now's your chance to find out with unbreakable glasses (well almost unbreakable). Tapper puts you in charge of several different types of bar, all filled with thirsty and rather over-demonstrative customers. The general object is to serve them drinks of soda Western style (ie slide the glasses along the length of the bar) and collect the glasses which they sling back at you. This sounds kinda easy, pardner, but it ain't.

I do have a minor criticism: CV Tapper is a little too easy at skill levels one and two, perhaps too difficult at three and four. But this is a petty complaint. If you accept it as the simple fun game it's supposed to be, there are few better titles among all the classic carts. Tapper is one of about a dozen "must haves" for the ColecoVision. I've never met a classic gamer who doesn't like this game.

Graphics are clear and simple, not too many colors are used. In my opinion nothing more should be added. Clients looks funny, cabaret girls look nice ;) Music is same as graphics – it doesn’t disturb. Sound effects are too simple – that is only thing I didn’t like about this game. Only beeps ... new customer BEEP, beer full BEEP, glass collected BEEP … come on ... it could be better! Overall I give this game 4. Gameplay is interesting and addictive.

These things aside, I think you'll find Tapper a welcome addition to your ColecoVision library. It's easy to learn, builds up to a frantic pace, and has some entertaining moments when things go wrong. Hey, it's not every day you get to see aliens doing the can-can! SIDE NOTE: The Atari 2600 version, produced by Sega, is not based on the "Root Beer" version of this game. The drink of choice is Mountain Dew instead of Budweiser, and there is an additional bar (a "punk rock" bar) in the game.

Tapper's a simple little game, but things can get quite hectic and it's extremely addictive. The accompanying graphics and sound are pretty good, but if the dancing girl graphics are meant to attract customers, someone better think again!

The one thing that truly impressed me is how all four stages are reproduced here - including the space catina! All in all, this is a very respectable version of the fun arcade hit.

On a positive note, all four stages are included, along with the "find the unshaken can" bonus stage. The bonus stage definitely looks sharp, but its stilted animation makes it tough to follow the shuffled cans. Tapper's bartender character also looks good, and when you grab a tip, a musical act appears consisting of a musician and dancing monkey (no dancing girls in this version). As I usually do, I'll give this game extra credit for the monkey, despite the fact that he looks more like a big brown frog. Tapper's festive musical score is practically identical to the arcade, and the controls are responsive enough. But in the final analysis, Tapper for the Colecovision is a serious disappointment. I found the Atari 2600 version to be far more satisfying.