As featured in Retrogaming Times Monthly issue #48, May 2008.

Allow me to introduce my old friend, the Tomy Tutor 16 Bit Graphical computer.  Years ago when I was all but four years of age one of these was brought into the home to much interest and a bit of misunderstanding.  I still have no idea why my grandparents decided to purchase a Tomy Tutor.  The marketing was for the most par nonexistent, no one else owned one, and my only previous entry into digital entertainment was playing my uncle's Atari VCS - which I took to fondly.  I don't remember which I got first, the Tomy Tutor or my Atari 2600 Jr. but I do remember them arriving within the same year, the Atari at Christmas.  Either way the Tomy Tutor was occasionally connected to the black an white TV in my grandparents bedroom.  Later it would make it into my room along with my shiny new Montgomery Ward 13" color TV which arrived along side my Atari that glorious Christmas morning.  As with many of the lower popularity home computers of the time, the Tutor had a built in programing language, a tape driven data recorder and the promise of many peripherals to come in the future - that would never arrive.  In Japan the Tutor was known as the Tomy Pyuuta with a couple different hardware revisions that saw limited release.  I'm going to stay away from the technical aspects of the computer itself, simply because I don't have a lot of technical experience with other home computers of this vintage.  Instead I'm going to concentrate on the games that were available for the Tutor as they were always the main draw for me.  A handful of games were released on cartridge for the Tutor and they were something the system did very well.  The usual form of input was via a pair of Joy Controllers.  They used a disc similar to the Intellivision control disc (but stiffer) for directional input, as well as a pair of fire buttons marked SL and SR located above the disc.  I thought we'd kick things off with a look at my favorite game on the platform, as well as one of my favorite arcade games, Jungler.

Jungler is based upon an arcade game of the same name designed by Konami in 1981.  Gameplay revolves around survival of the fittest among giant worms that reside underground.  Each level is comprised of a single screen maze with a large open vertical area in the center as well as dead ends and hazardous worm traps.  Up to two players can take turns playing as the white worm that starts out in the center of the maze.  When the game begins two enemy worms will head into the maze from the outermost corners.  Movement is similar to Pac-Man in that your worm will travel in the direction you press until you run into a wall.  Pressing another available direction will allow your worm to continue until it once again becomes obstructed by a boundary.  Each segment of a worm will follow suit behind the head, which gives the game a bit of a Centipede appearance.

Both the player and enemy worms can shoot in the direction the head of the worm is facing.  This is where survival of the fittest comes in.  Each time a shot makes contact with the rear segment of a worm, the segment is destroyed and the worm is reduced in length.  Enemy worms that are equal or greater in length than the player worm will be red.  Enemy worms that are one segment shorter than the player worm will be yellow.  Finally enemy worms that are two or more segments shorter than the player worm will be green.  The length of each worm is important because that's what decides who lives or dies.  If the head section of the player worm and the head section of an enemy worm run into one another, the shorter worm will be completely destroyed.  So the trick to quickly eliminating enemy worms is to shoot away a couple of their tail segments and then run into them head on.  However the player worm can be shot down shorter by the enemy worms as well, which is why the color coding is extremely helpful.  Once an entire wave of enemy worms is destroyed the next level begins.

There are a couple exceptions to the basic rules however.  From time to time strawberries will appear at specific locations in the maze.  Eating a strawberry will add one segment to your worm.  An advantage can be gained by having a standard full length worm eat a strawberry and gain one extra segment.  This now larger than average player worm will be longer than the fresh enemy worms, which will enter the maze already yellow.  Using this technique, a seasoned player can quickly barrel through a wave of enemy worms and rack up a big score.  Speaking of big scores, if points are what you're going for then you may want to destroy enemy worms with shots alone.  Once an enemy worm is shot all the way down to its last segment, the head, destroying the head will yield the player 500 bonus points.  Occasionally an enemy worm will get itself stuck against a worm trap, which will eventually destroy the worm.  This is an excellent opportunity to come up behind the trapped worm, shoot it down to nothing and pick up an easy bonus.

The game plays wonderfully with the Tomy Joy Controllers and the control disc does a smooth job of translating movements onto the screen.  Either SL or SR button will cause your worm to fire.  The opening tune that plays during the attract screen is catchy and is a good example of the rich sound the hardware can create.  The same goes for the end of level and game over music.  In game the sound effects are unique, it really does sound like a bunch of subterranean creatures are scurrying around.  The death sound is the unmistakable Tomy Tutor crash / explosion sound effect that many games use, however it has been slightly reworked to give it a more organic crushing sound.  Graphics are sharp and detailed and while the game isn't all that visually complicated, everything is colorful and solid.  Flicker and slowdown are both nonexistent, which are rarely a problem on the platform.  With the entire package working together so well one ends up with a superb arcade action experience.  It's not for everyone (nor is the Tutor for that matter, considering how rare they are) but Jungler is a great fast paced game that requires quick reflexes and a steady trigger finger.  Easily one of the best games on the platform and in my opinion a smoother package than the arcade game it is based upon.

I hope to continue this column semi-regularly whenever I have extra time.  NES'cade isn't going anywhere and if anything I look at this column as a way for me to make a second submission to Retrogaming Times Monthly from time to time.  I'd love to review more Tomy Tutor games but sadly I only have three titles from the catalog, the three that were purchased along with the computer many years ago.  If you have any spare Tomy Tutor or Tomy Pyuuta games you'd like to sell me for use in future reviews, please e-mail me via the link in my name at the top of this article.  Thanks!
 

"InsaneDavid" also runs a slowly growing gaming site at http://www.classicplastic.net/dvgi

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