Remember Lemmings on the Commodore Amiga? What made that ridiculous game, where you had to stop lemmings from throwing themselves off a cliff, so addictive?
I don't know - maybe it was the cute characters or maybe it was just because it was something entirely new in the gaming world. Pingus is inspired by lemmings and sees you guide penguins to their safety via a series of challenges. As in Lemmings, the penguins have a mind of their own and you can only control them by giving them instructions by clicking on them with your mouse and changing their preset action, for example, from walking to digging.
The goal of each level is to reach the exit by safely guiding them all there. Like Lemmings, the secret is in the challenges Pingus presents. Each level is different and you have to use your brain and reflexes to work out the best way of getting the penguins home. There are a few added bonuses in Pingus though. If things are going too slowly, you can speed up the action by putting the game in fast forward mode. You can also blow-up all the penguins in one go which is a bit sadistic but quite amusing and allows you to leave a level early if it gets boring.
The soundtrack is cute and bouncy and the story lines are well narrated and animated, although there was a problem with the sound which kept breaking up at various intervals. It also generated an Apple Script error on closure.
Pingus is a free so you've got nothing to lose but your mind by giving it a go. If you liked Lemmings though, you'll love it.
