Like most classic games, Zombies (also known as Zombies Ate My Neighbours outside of Europe) is a difficult game to survive through. With no tutorials or guidance whatsoever, Zombies makes you leg it around the street with only childish weapons to save you from being torn apart. Its a shoot and run game with an aerial birds eye view camera position, that sees 1 or 2 heroes run through neighbourhoods, shopping malls, hedge mazes, gardens, pyramids and castles, in search for survivors. The is no story whatsoever other than survival, while the gameplay revolves around point accumulation by destroying enemies, gathering money and saving your lost, stationary, neighbours. Levels tend to last as long as 5 to 10 minutes and gradually get longer as the difficulty increases as do the number of enemies and their strength. Enemies vary through your standard zombie, to environment specific creatures such as lumberjacks (who are near invincible and wield chainsaws) mummies, mimics, blobs, aliens werewolves, vampires and the giant baby. Its save system is merely a code that is given after a set amount of milestone levels.

Controls
B change weapon
Y fire weapon
A change item
X use item
L or R map
Start pause
Directional Pad movement

Scattered across the levels are optional weapons to try out. You start off with a water pistol with 500 shots it eventually picking up lollipops, fruit, cutlery, bazookas, fire extinguishers and soda cans. The weaponry however, is optional as the main objective is to reach all the survivors - people from all sorts of backgrounds, children, babies, tourists, soldiers, explorers, dogs, cheerleaders, teachers, barbecue entusiasts.. One touch from an enemy though, will kill them and their ghost flies away. You have 10 bars of health and a set amount of continues to survive, as well as special items to aid you on your adventures. Find things such medpacks, keys, special chests, distraction clowns, sprint shoes, unknown potions that cause mutation, invisibility and death. After each level you (and your partner if playing co op) receive your points total, displaying all your survivors, gaining bonuses by rescuing all and getting extra lives. Dive into ponds and pools to reach other areas, get on trampolines and elevators, break into houses to steal stuff in cabinets, raid trash cans and blow holes in walls to make shortcuts. The music is something that remains as catchy as ever, using stereotypical zombie themes and horror sound effects to do the job. Its all synth, but its done so well and gives each level a dreadful sense of the occasion.

With nearly 50 levels to explore, bonus rounds included, its almost certain that you will not complete this game as me and my friends can only reach half of what the game has to offer. Such is the standard of the older generation games. Fun little shooter that earned its cult following.