Anakonda Review

Costas Stephanides’s Review

A great updated version of the original mobile phone game. Its got colour, lots of modes and a funky soundtrack. What more could you ask for?

We have never reviewed Snake and we probably never will especially now that Anakonda has come along.

Anakonda has taken the concept to the next level and has beautifully taken the game to the colour screen. The graphics are good and you can even choose the colour of your anaconda. The sound is excellent; there is a wicked funky tune that loops throughout the game. Usually these tunes are pretty pants but I could listen to this one all day long!

The basic idea of the game is simple. Move your anaconda around the game area using the usual four buttons/D pad and try to eat the food when it appears on the screen. Along with the food, power pills can also be eaten. The pills have a random effect, some will give bonus points, some increase your length and the worst reverse the controls. Personally, I never bother with the pills as I always ended up with the reverse type and dying very quickly. As with Snake 2, there are various obstacles on the screen including conveyor belts and worm holes (or should that be snake holes). The game ends if you crash into the wall, part of your tail or another anaconda.

The quick among you would have spotted the new addition to this game - another snake. Anakonda has 5 modes in total and 2 of these are against a computer controlled snake.

Arcade mode is a solo game and you have to eat a set amount of food to proceed to the next level. The game is pretty easy and its quite quick to complete the early levels. The only down side to the game is the long loading time between levels. If you are playing while TV then it's fine. If you are stuck on a train purely focussing on the game then the loading time is quite apparent.

Versus mode is you against the computer anaconda, where you progress once the other snake has crashed. Its an excellent concept but the AI can be a bit poor. On numerous occasions, the snake has crashed into the wall within the first few seconds. Even as you progress through the levels the AI doesn't seem to improve.

Battle mode is a mix of the first two modes. You have to compete against the other snake to be the first to eat 10 pieces of food. Alternatively, you can force the other snake to crash. This is the better of the two modes as you can focus on eating your food and let the opponent crash into himself.

Survival mode is a nice twist to the game. You have to eat food to shrink your ever-growing tail. This mode gets very hectic, very quickly and is good fun while it lasts.

Classic mode is a throw back to the old monochrome Snake game. Probably included so you can marvel at the wondrous new colour modes of Anakonda - cunning!

Overall it's an excellent game, the gameplay is great, the play area is always different and there's plenty of modes to keep it fresh.