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RELEASED: 1982 PROGRAM: Wendell Brown FORMAT: Cartridge - EXPERTS CLUB SCORE - 25,000 Points - 8 Buildings

Beauty & the Beast is one of several Imagic game titles that are exclusive to the Mattel Intellivision game console. As you can probably tell from the screenshots, the game shares many similarities with both the Donkey Kong arcade game and the King Kong movie. While this might lead you to believe that Beauty & the Beast is nothing more than a cheap clone, it's actually an outstanding game and one of Imagic's best efforts for the Intellivision. In Beauty & the Beast, you take on the role of Bashful Buford. Your girlfriend Tiny Mabel has been kidnapped by Horrible Hank and he's taken her up to the top of the Mutton building. Now you've got to climb your way up the building through the many open windows in an attempt to reach the top where he's holding Mabel hostage. Along the way, you'll have to deal with birds, bats, mice, and the constant barrage of boulders that Horrible Hank tosses down at you. You'll have to duck and jump over these many dangers if you want to make it to the top alive. Fortunately, the play control in the game is absolutely outstanding and actually seems like the perfect match for the somewhat awkward control discs used on the Intellivision controllers. The premise of Beauty & the Beast might not be very original, but the game itself proves to be quite unique and an extremely rewarding game play experience. Think of it as a quirky variation of Donkey Kong with a bit more technique to it. The game has very colorful and detailed visuals and some of the best music and sound effects ever heard on the Intellivision system. If you own an Intellivision console, this is definitely a game you'll want to own. If you don't own one, Beauty & the Beast is a very good reason to get one.

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