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Matchbox Caterpillar Construction Zone (Game Boy Color)

Matchbox Caterpillar Construction Zone review

Game: Matchbox Caterpillar Construction Zone
Platform: Game Boy Color
Genre: Action
Developer: Realtime Associates

Reader review by bigcj34

July 03, 2007

Construction zone is just what it says it is, you’ve got a whole plethora of trucks to use and are assigned these tasks in your truck depending on what function the truck can undertake. There’s five stages, ranging from the forest, the farm, the neighbourhood or even the city, each with some uniqueness in the objectives but at the same time does feel slightly similar.

Construction zone presents a reasonable amount of trucks to use, varying from boulder-lifting pick-up trucks, cranes, ploughers, concrete layers and transporters amongst others. Objectives in the game are laid out sequentially, for example you might start out by making a trip to the cement machine then releasing it where a bridge starts, where it magically forms the next part of the bridge, or you might have to create the neighbourhood swimming pool by first digging up the place with a digging truck, then using a crane to pick up all the blocks to complete a wall.

The objectives presented in the game aren’t anything challenging, just a sequential, linear series of boulders to pick up, roads to tarmac, etc. and all you’re required to do is be in the right place, press the A button to pick up an object then go to the place that needs work doing and press A for the truck to perform the action. Nothing difficult there then, plus for anyone who’s into the truck attributes, they’re presented to you once you pick up a new truck, should you decide to have a quick glance at the top speed although they all move at the same speed in-game.

After all the effort you’ve put into playing the game, Construction Zone leaves you asking what is the point in such a game. There’s little more than travelling from A to B, changing trucks and pressing a button, or driving over an area to perform a task. The only difficult part of the game is admittedly, finding where the last boulder is and finding the next truck, and even then a little man points you in the direction you need to be heading, or whether what you’re doing is right. Maybe for kids who are enthusiastic about digging toys might find some buzz from this game, but aside from that it leaves little purpose. There’s nothing wrong with the game, but there’s nothing original nor useful about it and you’ll have completed it in over an hour.

The graphics in the game are presented in a 2D top down view but the fronts of objects are visible, and are admittedly well drawn, with some bright vibrant colours and decent truck animations while the foreman looks quite quirky himself. The music on the other hand, while nothing amazingly inspiring and memorable, sets the scene of the game quite nicely with some free-flowing soothing tunes but nothing that will make you bang your head against the wall, while the sound of a truck driving and reversing (lots of beeps) sounds authentic itself, considering it’s from a tiny Game Boy speaker.

Construction Zone is best saved for 5 year old kids who like their tractors. I’m not dissing them, as Game Boys are for kids as well, but there’s plenty of games out there for young and old alike and for a wider audience it’s a little dull, somewhat repetitive and feels rather pointless. The graphics are nice, has a sense of authenticity but it’s just linear, A to B moving with little in between. A bit of fun for the kids, maybe a slight laugh for a maturer audience but is more like a generic estate house than the Sydney Opera house (pun absolutely intended) with little replay value after. 4/10

Rating: 4/10

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