Safari Sam: Jungle Explorer
Release type: Shareware
Release date: June 14, 1992
Levels: 8
Author: Sherwood Forest
Registration bonus: Free game + current catalog
Registration price: $15
Related games: none
This game is a grab bag of half-fulfilled ideas, in an inadvertently offensive setting. As with many Sherwood games, the basic idea is fairly clever; it's sort of a variety game, like Skate or Die. You wander around on a main map, and enter various levels, each of which is a different event with different objectives, different controls, and a different character sprite. The levels are as varied as a Toobin'-style flume ride, a Donkey Kong style arcade platformer, and a sort of a Frogger level. All your favorite early '80s arcade games in one.
As usual the problem is in the execution. None of the character sprites has much animation, and some have none at all. The level layout is almost random. It is unclear whether the player need tackle all the levels or none, or exactly how to progress through the game.
The setting and realization are worth a second mention, as from a modern perspective they raise more than a couple of eyebrows. If one recalls that early Tintin book, Tintin in the Congo, that caused such a fuss when it was finally released in English, this game might as well be an adaptation of that.
With its earnest ambition and particularly disjointed command of Game-Maker, it would make sense if Safari Sam were Sherwood's first game. It seems to have come out early in 1992, whereas most of Sherwood's other games started to trickle out the following fall.
Contents
Story[edit]
Safari Sam is the primo explorer of the dark continent. He is the guide for most people who want to explore the jungles, rivers, and temples of Africa. So join Sam as he takes you through the many adventures and dangers of Safari Sam Jungle Explorer.
Instructions[edit]
This game, Safari Sam, is actually many games in one. you move Sam around the jungle until he comes to one of the areas on the map. When Sam gets to a certain area the game will change to that area. Moving Sam is done by the various arrow keys. Playing the different games are explained below.
1: The shrine: Using the arrow keys will move Sam in the direction of the key. Pick up the gems and idols as you travel through the temple. Kill the spiders and snake by throwing powder on them by pushing the spacebar. You can only toss powder after picking up a bag. This is done by standing on a bag.
2: The Village: You must go from one end of the village to the other end. You can only walk to the right. This is done pushing the right arrow key. You can jump over a spear by pushing the Up arrow key. You duck by pushing the Down arrow key.
3: The Log Raft Ride: Control Sammy by using the arrow keys as you travel down the river. Dodge the rocks, trees, and other obstacles. But pick up as many lily pads as you can.
4: The Swamp: You must walk through the swamp making sure you step on the animals and other things in the river. If you are on anything when it totally submerges, you are dead.
5: The Elephant Pool: You must make it through the pool before any of the elephants spray water on you. Getting hit with water is a quick way to bite the bullet.
6: The Veldt: Sammy travels to the veldt for some hunting. The arrow keys will move Sammy and the spacebar will shoot the gun. If any animal catches Sammy, he becomes a safari salad.
7: The Hut: Sammy has got to get to the top of the hut. This is not so easy because he must dodge the bananas and coconuts the monkeys are throwing at him. The Up arrow key is used to dodge, the center 5 key and Down arrows are used to climb up and down, and the Left and Right arrow keys are for movement.
Credits[edit]
This fine program is brought to you by the lunatic fringe known as Sherwood Forest Software. The people that we let out of the cage this time to write Safari Sam is the usual cast of Rob Sherwood and Dan Whalen. Contrary to popular belief, the National Society of Amature Ornithologists had nothing to do with it.
Availability[edit]
Available on several shareware compilation CD-ROMs, including ShareWare Heaven #2 (1993).
Archive History =[edit]
On September 23, 2010, the title screen was discovered in the distribution archive of Airstrike 42. Following this discovery, a quick Web search turned up an archive of Safari Sam on a now-unknown (as of October 2015) Web archive of scraped BBS files.
Links[edit]
Interviews / Articles[edit]
Listings[edit]
Misc. Links[edit]
Downloads[edit]
- Safari Sam (149.4 kB)
- Jungle map (135.8 kB)
- Shrine map (135.7 kB)
- Village map (9.3 kB)
- Log Raft map (89.8 kB)
- Swamp map (36.6 kB)
- Elephant Pool map (49.8 kB)
- Veldt map (113.7 kB)
- Hut map (98.0 kB)
