The Addams Family review - Super Nintendo

There's no rest for the wicked so they say, and where this bunch is concerned it couldn't be more true. Hell's most wholesome family are in quite a pickle, and for once it's not their fault. Abigail Craven is trying to get her hands on the family fortune, and with the assistance of her cohorts, Tully and The Judge, she has so far managed to lock up everyone apart from Gomez. Morticia is imprisoned somewhere in the lower vaults on the mansion, Uncle Fester has lost his memory and is suffering a bad case of demonic possession, and Granny and the kids have also become victims of Abigail's diabolical behaviour. So it's up to Gomez to hunt down Pugsley, Wednesday and Granny, restore the memory of Uncle Fester, and then see to the rescue of his wife.

With places to explore inside and outside the vast mansion, rooms which seem inordinately capacious, secret passages and doors which lead to anywhere and nowhere and lots of baddies desperate to make sure you stay right where you are, this really is a nightmare - even for the Addams Family!

What the Mean Machines staff thought

This game certainly has a lot going for it. To begin with the quality of the graphics are excellent, with well defined sprites and backdrops. Be prepared for a game that is fast and, at times, very difficult. In fact I was quite fearful that I might finish the game with a lot less hair than when I started it, such is the frustration it arouses! Don't expect to have tired of The Addams Family in a couple of days either. There are always new rooms, passages and puzzles to solve, and the password system ensures that your efforts are preserved. If I'm going to get grouchy about anything it's that this is yet another platform game, treading the same path as those before it with nothing particularly new to offer. But it you haven't bought a platform game for a while, The Addams Family should bring you some of the best graphics and most frantic gameplay you can expect these days.

When I first played The Addams Family, I must admit to not being overly impressed. The graphics and sound are both superb, but the gameplay seemed a bit bland. However, the more I played it the more I got into it. There's loads to discover, and there are more secret screens than even a Mario game! It's tough too and you really need to polish your platform skills to get anywhere - on later levels things get extremely tricky and the final level certainly takes some doing! If you're looking for a game with tough, 100% platform action, look no further than this.