#27: The New Zealand Story (Taito/Choice, Amiga, 1989)

It’s not just there in the title — New Zealand Story gives you a map of the islands between each level to locate you in Auckland, Rotarua, the Waitomo Caves, ‘Strait Cook’ or Mt. Cook. Its setting is one of the game’s best and most important choices. It doesn’t even matter too much that there’s not that much of a recognisable New Zealand in it. The way that it uses real places as a backdrop but keeps humans very much in that background still gives an exciting sense that its strange goings-on are happening just out of view. It gives a grounding and an individual character beyond that offered by its cute art design and dinky cartoon music, and definitely beyond its gameplay.