TONGUE OF THE FATMAN

FAST LOOKS

People who liked Jabba the Hutt are going to love Mondu-the-Fat. He's the porcine proprietor of the Fight Palace in Activision's Tongue of the Fatman, Mondu-the-Fat is just waiting for you to step into the pit and challenge one of his interplanetary brawlers to a fight to the death. Too bad, as the death is usually yours instead of theirs.

Be prepared for taunts and jibes from the Fatman and be warned that this calorie-cruncher's bite is worse than his bark. "Humanoids," he says "they come apart so easily in the flight pits. Especially when you pull their arms." There's no such thing as a fair fight at Mondu's.

Your early opponents aren't top contenders, but they are nasty enough to jump on your face and laugh about it. The Fat Man waits at the end. If you get a shot at him, watch out for his Tongue Lash—it's a wicked weapon.

This game also has a wicked sense of humor that's reflected in the manual, and the explanatory comments by Sworat, the Bingusian swamp rat, are a pure delight. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the game's background music. You can shut off the fight's sounds, but there's no relief from the game's incessant chirping tones as you move through the preliminary screens.

Via joystick or keyboard, your fighter has 16 different moves—jumps, flips, punches, and kicks—almost too many. I was mangled and mauled dozens of times before I could remember which combination of keys produced an effective punch. Many players may grow discouraged and quite before they learn how to fight and use their weapons. But this is no game for wimps; as the manual says, "Confused? Hey, that's just a polite word for stupid."

TOM NETSEL