Game Review: Duck Shoot (Commodore 64, Mastertronic)

Duck Shoot started off life on the Vic-20 as Kwazy Kwaks, released by Mr Chip Software in 1983 and programmed by Shaun Southern.  This was a clone of the arcade game Carnival, even having the same Over the Waves in-game theme, albeit slightly cut down to fit the unexpanded Vic-20 (so for example no pipes that are in the arcade version).  Kwazy Kwaks was re-released by Mastertronic as the Vic-20 version of Duck Shoot, with some inlays having a stamped acknowledgement to Kwazy Kwaks in red text (which is also the same in Vegas Jackpot and The Election Game).  In years to come, Kwazy Kwaks even featured as a hidden game on Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 on the Amiga – enter DUX in the password system, and off you went – a faithful replica at that.

There had been no Commodore 64 release of Kwazy Kwaks, so it made sense for Shaun Southern to create Duck Shoot, and enhance the gameplay to resemble more the original arcade game.  Note though that some of the Commodore 64 releases of this game feature the instructions from the Vic-20 version.  This may not seem too bad at first but there are some differences which mean you may be shooting aimlessly without completing a level, and I will detail the reasons why further on.

Birdie Songs

Once the title screen has displayed and the game loaded, you will note the music, and it will stay with you long after the game has played.  It is a version of Der Ententanz (The Duck Dance), composed by Werner Thomas, an accordion player.  Over in the UK, a novelty version was released as The Birdie Song by The Tweets in 1981, reaching number two in the charts.  Although a very annoying song for its time, it was well known, so made sense therefore for inclusion here on the title screen.  There is no in-game music though, which is a shame as a version of Over the Waves would have made perfect sense.

Ducking Down

The game has five rows of targets to hit – the bottom three rows contain owls, rabbits and ducks that scroll across, along with targets with 5 or 10 on for extra bullets, and bonus letters, and above those three rows are the spinning plates. To complete a level, all the spinning plates must be shot.  This may sound easy, but you must clear a path to those plates first, and then shoot them.   There is an additional hazard in that at the very top, a duck moves across the screen.  If this duck completes its run across without being shot, all the plates respawn, meaning you need to shoot them again.  So, you do have to keep your wits about you.

Some of the ducks will also swoop down towards you at the bottom of the screen, and if they do make it, then several of your bullets are taken off you. You do only have a limited amount which can be topped up by the 5 and 10 targets, so keeping as many as you can is key (no bullets also means game over, incidentally.)  You do not get points for shooting these ducks, but what you save by doing so is invaluable.  The rows of targets go from 2, 4 and 6 points with then 10 points per plate and for the ducks at the top.

Bonus Conundrum

The game has a bonus system which also acts as a timer.  If the bonus runs out entirely, then the game speeds up with you not in control and it is game over.  If you do manage to shoot the letters of BONUS (and in the right order, one wrong shot invalidates your attempt) then whatever bonus is left when shooting the S is added to your score.  Whilst this is a handy score boost, it can also put you off going for the spinning plates to complete the level, and especially hitting the very top duck, but one strategy might be to get that quickly and clear the path for the plates.  If you do clear the plates, the level is complete, and you shoot a moving bull target for extra points before the next level commences at a quicker pace.

Frenetic Fun

Due to the amount of action on screen, the gameplay can be frenetic, but it always playable.  Your gun moves quick enough across the screen to target the falling ducks, and shooting is very accurate, and hits scoring well. You do need to keep an eye on the bullets though, and often I have managed to score the 5 or the 10 target with my final bullet and keep going, but the pressure does ramp up and certainly gives you that one more go factor to try and better your score, that is for definite.  The shooting of the plates to complete a level does give you a fair degree of satisfaction, as even on the first level this is not easy.  The later levels really do get very fast and very difficult, so you do get that sense of achievement from those too.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics in Duck Shoot are functional and recognisable – they are in one colour but the different colours used do give it a little splash nonetheless, and the ducks swooping down do have a few frames of animation to make them look like they are flying down.  They are not outstanding but do the job and it is clear what you need to do.  The in-game sound is limited to effects only when you shoot targets or when bullets are taken off you, or when you score a bonus.  The title theme will stay in your head longer than expected as you will hark back to the darned Birdie Song though, so you may want to play this with the sound off to be on the safe side and to preserve any sanity.

Final Thoughts

Duck Shoot on the Commodore 64 ticks all the boxes – yes, it is a version of the arcade game Carnival, but crucially it looks recognisable and is playable from the get go.  It may seem hard at first to shoot the spinning plates, but with practice you can achieve this well without losing bullets or bonus.  It was a sign of things to come from Mastertronic and the tie-up with Mr Chip established here would be one that would serve them well over the years, and Shaun Southern would be a name to trust for always solid playable games.

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