Duck! - Information

Duck! was another simple arcade game that was obviously inspired by coin-op games like Space Invaders and Galaxians, but with ducks! The game was described by Firebird as a Musical Comedy.

The game gave the player three lives at the start, and a bonus was on offer if the player could clear the screen before the clock ran down.

Farmer Tubby stood at the foot of the screen, and the ducks walked further up the screen. Only one bullet at a time could be fired upwards, and Farmer Tubby had to avoid the mamed birds from hitting him on the head! Every so often, a swan would fly over along the top of the screen and Farmer Tubby had to try and shoot it down for another bonus.

If the Farmer was hit on the head or collided with anything on the ground, then he was momentarily dazed, and lost a life. Worse still, the level then started again from the beginning!

The first wave was simple enough to get through. However, the second wave introduced the eggs. The ducks above Farmer Tubby would lay eggs, and when the eggs hit the ground they hatched into new ducks who would then take off and bounce around the screen. The eggs could be shot as they were dropping, but they didn't drop in a straight line, making them harder targets to hit.

The game gradually became more hectic, with eggs being laid much earlier and with increasing frequency. However, there were no further surprises as the player progressed through the levels. It was very much a case of 'more of the same', except for the colour where the score and bonus points were displayed would change - starting on green, then going through yellow, blue, magenta, cyan and white.

Duck! featured music from "La Belle Helene Waltz" on the title screen, and snatches from the tune "There was was an ugly duckling..." at the start of the game and whenever a life was lost.