Those of you who have
played the Atari 2600 games Crazy Climber and Spiderman will understand
this game's concept. It's rather simple. You'll play as Sam whom must climb buildings
while avoiding enemies and falling objects. While doing that, you'll need to collect the
treasure at the top. The game consists of climbing up the girders and when you are about to pass over an enemy hit the button. Sam kicks his feet up and squishes the enemy. This is where the funny voice clips happen. Sam will often say "squish 'em," "wow," or a few others. If he gets hit by an enemy he says "whoops."
The tricky parts come when there are only a few places where Sam can climb and there are many enemies to avoid or squish. On top of that, there are falling objects which are quite amusing. One stage has him avoiding falling hammers, then TVs, and finally sinks. Reach the top and he collects the treasure. He'll parachute down and the next stage begins.
Although I really like the strong game play, it's flaws that keep this from perfection. One of the annoyances is the difficulty. Each stage is very long and the stages increase in difficulty far too slowly so it keeps you from wanting to get a little further in recurring sessions.
The second thing that could stand some improvement are the graphics. They're too simplistic. Sam looks great and is detailed, but the enemies and stages need more detail. The levels change colors periodically yet they are only one color at a time. Enemies are a single color as well. The Colecovision is capable of far more.
The sound effects are the best part of this game. They work to keep the game amusing and highly original.
Squish 'em Sam provides some good laughs and solid game play. It's an easy recommendation to anyone who owns a CV, even if it is tough to track down as of late
