Spirou

Spirou is a platform video game in which the titular main character can walk, run, jump, and duck. To reach certain areas, he can dive and slide along the ground for a short distance. He can also use a weapon called the Micropulser, obtained in the third level of the game. Spirou can swim in the game's underwater levels.

Spirou has a health bar that allows him to take six hits before losing a life. If the player has extra lives remaining, the level restarts upon losing a life; if there are no extra lives left, the game ends. An extra life is earned by collecting 50 Spirou hats, which are scattered throughout the eight levels. Collecting a heart refills the health bar by one point. While diving underwater, Spirou can hold his breath only for a limited time, which can be extended by collecting oxygen bottles.

Spirou, a journalist, and his friend Fantasio visit New York for an international conference on scientific research. Upon their arrival, they discover that Count Champignac, their longtime friend and one of the inventors at the conference, has disappeared. It is revealed that Cyanide, a robot and one of Spirou's longtime enemies, has kidnapped the count. Using Count Champignac's inventions, Cyanide plans to make robots rule the Earth and enslave all humans. While Spirou attempts to rescue Champignac and stop Cyanide, Fantasio gathers intelligence to aid Spirou.

The Mega Drive, Super Nintendo, and Game Boy versions of Spirou were reviewed in several video game magazines in France and Germany. It was generally well received, with most critics praising the graphics and fluid animations in both the console and Game Boy versions. The soundtrack and varied gameplay were also well regarded, and the controls were noted for being precise and easy to use. Critics generally considered the game faithful to the comic series.

However, the difficulty level was criticized for being too high. Additionally, the inclusion of only one password to save progress led some reviewers to comment that too many levels had to be replayed to reach the point where the player had previously been. [b]