Please login to submit a screenshot

Way back at the dawn of time there is a prehistoric conurbation with Burger Bars, Health Clubs and a Drive-in Movie -- a stoneage metropolis known as Bedrock, whose inhabitants are as timeless as the Earth itself (and their television series come to think of it) -- the Flintstones! Those legendary cartoon caricatures have been effectively reincarnated and brought to life on your screens in digital form courtesy of Task Set.

The game takes place before Mr Flintstone ever met Mrs Flintstone and Bedrock was nowt but a twinkle in the collective minds eye of the natives. You play the part of Fred Flintstone and it is your task to win the heart of that gorgeous gal Wilma. Obviously, it takes more than the good looks and charisma of a sweaty caveman to impress a female Neanderthal type. Yes, to ensure that Wilma will dotingly follow Fred, he must build her a house made of finest stone. And this is where the problems start . . .

Fred needs room to build his residence, so his first task is to clear the unwanted flat stones from the vicinity of the site and dump them in the nearby tip -- easier said than done, since pterodactyls and turtles prove a constant hindrance. The former attempt to drop rocks on poor Fred's head and the latter rob him of his energy, as does Dino, the Neanderthal equivalent of Man's best friend, who gets a little over-excited when he sees Fred and inadvertently molests him in a similar manner to the turtles, with similar effect.

The state of Fred's health is shown at the top right of the screen and is depicted by a bar. As his energy depletes, a woodpecker hammers away at the bar until it finally reaches the end and a life is lost. Should this occur four times, Fred's cause is lost along with his lives and the game is over.

The house can only be built with the finest smooth, round rocks and these are scattered about 40 locations, which flip from screen to screen when moving from one to the next. As Fred can only carry one rock at a time, he must return to the site and deposit them before he continues. Once the house is complete it needs a roof. Unfortunately Fred is a little on the short side and therefore needs some form of ladder to reach the roof. Luckily there is a Dino-Hire in the neighbourhood where one can conveniently hire dinosaurs with stepped backs, suitable for climbing on and attaching roofing. But hiring a dinosaur costs money and this can be obtained by working at the quarry for a short time, not that any work needs to be done, as Fred merely needs to pick up the dollar sign lying provocatively upon the floor. Should he completely finish building his humble abode, he can go in search of Wilma and attempt to persuade her to 'shack up' with him. Ah, love is blind!

Following in the footsteps of Thunderbirds, Yabba Dabba Doo is yet another conversion of a favourite television series of mine that has totally failed to capture the ethos of the original. All that is spot on are the excellent graphics; Fred looks just right and is very good indeed. The game itself is average and soon begins to bore. Avoiding molestations from Dino and the turtle is near impossible. The map isn't that hard and the end goal isn't particularly difficult to achieve, just awkward. I didn't like Yabba Dabba Doo at all and it's a shame to see something with such potential to go to waste.

The graphics are the most stunning thing about this game -- the sprites look exactly like their cartoon counterparts! Unfortunately the game isn't so hot, and basically boils down to being a prehistoric collect em up. There are also some niggly bits in the gameplay element; it's just about impossible to walk past a nasty, simply because the screen isn't 'deep' enough; the only way to avoid them is by wandering off the screen then back onto it -- which soon becomes a real chore. It's a shame really, I'm sure something more exciting could have been made of the Flintstones; as this stands it's just plain Joe average.

Presentation 77%
Few options but good instructions and attractively presented on screen.

Graphics 86%
High quality cartoon sprites and adequate backdrops.

Sound 65%
Reasonable rendition of the Flintstones theme tune and some OK FX.

Hookability 69%
Easy to get into and initial frustration appeal.

Lastability 52%
Too hard for the younger gamesplayer and not varied enough to maintain interest.

Value For Money 60%
Sufficiently cheap to entice youngsters and junkies of the TV show.

Overall 60%
Will probably appeal to fans of the television series but as games go it certainly isn't anything special.