Sheep Review

Each level consists out of four sub-levels. On each of those you will have to rescue one type of sheep, and, eventually rescue them all at the end of the level. The player can choose which type of sheep to rescue from which level. There are four types of sheep: pastoral, factoral, longwool and neogenetic (Wow, I can't wait to give this one a try J Yeah, right -- Ed).

Pastoral are classical sheep that spent their youth on a farm somewhere. They are easy to guide and not too quick. Sometimes referred to, as "Clouds". Normal, boring sheep that live in the fields and are scared of just about everything. These are your basic, middle-of-the-road, everyday sheep -- the ideal beginner's breed.

Get away from those tractors!!!

Collecting the stars...

Factoral have been bread in industrial centers for wool production, and their heavy wool makes them somewhat slower than the rest of the breeds. Referred to as "Woolheads," they are bred solely for wool in varying textures and shades. Live in barns. Very stupid, fashion conscious and vacant, they like pretty things, such as flowers. Will follow anyone and anything as long as it's fashionable. Are not really afraid of things as such, not having the intelligence to distinguish between danger and safety.

Longwool are wild sheep that will often wander off weather you like it or not. They look like they're constantly slamming to music. Referred to as "Dags". Sub culture sheep that live on the fringes of society, bikers, rockers and crusties alike. Like rock music! Not as cowardly as most sheep but still stupid, nonetheless. Their favorite haunt is Septic Dive (Hey, so is mine! Although I sometimes prefer the Cespool Dip).

And finally, the genetically designed sheep that work closely with man and technology. They give off a cool hard exterior, but in reality are still stupid and cowardly (Stop slamming on sheep, or Bunny - our sick and twisted sex offender who occasionally writes a review will get very mad at ya - Ed). They are good with computers and traffic. Referred to as "Penheads". The sheep types may seem similar, but you'll soon learn to distinguish them and apply proper tactics for each breed.

The game features seven relatively short levels, all with their own atmosphere, enemies, and traps. Each sub-level has two parts. First you have to make all sheep go in front of you, and then you have to find the exit and save your sheep. When you gather sufficient sheep, the Sheppard may jump into the next level. If your time runs out and you have not activated the end of the level, you will fail regardless of how many sheep you saved. Levels include: Polygon farm, Village Fete, Mr.Whoppys, Jurassic Playground, Club Nation, Mount Mouflon, Lost in Space. As you can easily conclude, each of the levels has a specific theme; for instance, Lost in Space is taking place in a spaceship resembling an enormous PC, Polygon farm is located on a farm, Village Fette is an ancient castle full of mean knights, Mr. Whoppys is a candy factory, and so on. The levels look great, and they are mostly meant for younger players, but some of the harder levels could present a challenge to experienced players. The only flaw of the level concept is the time limit. Considering the game dynamics and sheep's Artificial Stupidity, the time limits had to be higher. This will make even some of the easier levels quite difficult because you'll have to go against the clock. When you successfully complete a level, you're in for a bonus level, which serves only for you to gather more points and rank higher on the high score list.

The controls have been reduced to the necessary minimum - using the cursor keys for movement and additional keys for shouting/leaving candies, and action/rustling. The controls can be set to keyboard, joypad, joystick or mouse. If you decide to play this game using the mouse, a dot will appear, pointing the direction of your sheep's movement and making thing a lot easier for you. The shepherds can also pick up a sheep and carry it to the desired position, yet however handy this may seem, you won't be able to carry each sheep to the goal because of the time limit. This option will be most useful when you have to place a sheep on a pad that opens certain doors, or activates a teleport. You will make your sheep go in front of you as you walk, and if the start spreading, you can shout and bring them back in line. Then again, you can also buy candies somewhere on the level, and leave them behind you (the same key as "shout") which will lure the sheep to follow your track and avoid traps. Your shepherd can also run, which will make him a lot faster and capable of running around the flock, and possibly recovering any of the sheep that was left behind..

Traps and enemies are as adorable as the overall level design. Villains move on scripted routes so it is easy to avoid them and plan your herd's way.

Sheep is a becoming and fun game. It can irritate you when trying to solve the same level 20-30 times in a row, but the funny little sheep are always there to give you a good laugh and make you think harder about saving that flock.