ADVANCED VACUUM CLEANER SIMULATOR by Lee Prince

 

ADVANCED VACUUM CLEANER SIMULATOR by Lee Prince for ZX Spectrum 48K

   Advanced Simulators seem to be a well-established tradition of our highly acclaimed competition. This game is then comfortably at home (The author warns that "Any resemblance to previous Advanced Simulators is a complete coincidence" - fine). The excellent loading screen is undoubtedly a perfect form of presentation. But that's not all: if we deactivate the emulator's fast loader, we can enjoy a completely original load. A great technical achievement. Below are some screenshots, but I recommend you to see it. And my relationship with the game starts with a big smile.

   The author's email also lets us know in advance that we will be getting local information from the Anglia region. Our readers in Andorra may be wondering what this place is. Fortunately, I have found a map recently published by the Department of Geography and Advanced Cartography of the University of Karrottensberg, which illustrates the geographical situation:

   Almost as modern as the map is the musical inspiration behind the excellent music which accompanies the game's main menu, "Jimmy The Hoover - Tantalise (Wo Wo Wo Ee Yeh Yeh) - 1983". It is extremely catchy (and better than the original), I warn you.

   The centre of the game is a red carpet... Red carpet... Red carpet !!!

   Will we be invited to an exclusive gala like real VIPs?

   Well... no. Our job is much less glamorous, we are just the red carpet cleaners. What a disappointment.

   At least we have a wide range of vacuum cleaners to choose from, and we'll put off watching the news while we clean!

   I'll take the Rugmaster.

   Clearly, the owner of the precious red carpet is a miser when it comes to maintaining the equipment. But, as we all know (and this is why we are here), things were done better before. So let's go for the Oldmatic:

(I told you so)

   As an older appliance, it is normal that it takes some time to reach optimum operating temperature:

   Let's get to work... Look at the size of the carpet compared to the cleaner, it's huge! And so is the TV!

   Such a huge task requires concentration and dedication, and if we get distracted (that's what TV is for), the unexpected happens:

   Killed for not having finished cleaning a carpet on time? I suspect that the owner of the house is none other than:

   News from the Anglia region are... You'd better see for yourselves. I'll just tell you that a nuclear war is even announced...

   Eventually I managed to complete my hard work successfully and... I have been given money!

   After sweating a lot and learning more about current affairs: This game is full of good humour. The idea of the vacuum cleaner to give you a good time is perfectly executed. I had a great time. The music is very good. The news... Will play again to find out more!

Scrambled Smile: 9/10

Broccoli and Squid Yoghourt: 5/10

Deep Fried Ice Cream: 9/10

Strawberry Monosodium Glutamate: 7/10

Affable Hot Chocolate Sauce: 7/10