A year has passed, and Spike and Spud are still at it! Finally, he shows up in a game that was really meant for him - a Q*Bert clone called Spike Hoppin’. Dondzila has reached the logical "next stage" for the Vectrex hero, simulating most of the characters from Q*Bert: there’s Spud, who replaces Coily, an hourglass replaces the green ball, the discs are there for a quick ride to the top (although Spud doesn’t have to chase you there - hoppin’ on a disc automatically knocks him off the pyramid), and even the sideways-jumping enemies make an appearance after several stages.

The game plays great on the Vectrex, where instead of color changes the pyramid triangles dim out when you land on them. Dim them all and it’s off to the next stage. Controls respond well, something that could have easily gone wrong in a game where everything moves on a 45 degree angle. To add to the game’s value, there’s a hidden game of Centipede and an alternate opening screen (I’ve hidden these codes somewhere in this issue... heh, heh).