#29: Fantasy World Dizzy (CodeMasters, C64, 1989)

Simply put, it’s the first game in the series that doesn’t constantly feel like an act of total masochism to play. Which is not to say that it won’t kill you, frequently and mercilessly, but for the most part, the deaths don’t feel unfair. For example, early in the game, you are required to cross a castle moat by using a crocodile as a stepping stone. Making this jump requires precision, not just in positioning, to ensure that you land on the crocodile without rolling off the other side, but timing as well, to ensure that you land on the crocodile while its mouth is shut. It’s tricky to pull it off, for sure, but when you lose a life for failing, you can hardly suggest that that was an unexpected outcome. You did, after all, try to cross a castle moat by using a crocodile as a stepping stone.