Thanks. Windows 10 x64 Pro. Typical in series w/ sharp graphics. Good for a 5 min break now & then just when want the arcade memory. Hate can't bounce hedgehogs, lol. Makes game bit more tricky. Helps to use down arrow now & then for those lower levels to see if worth a bother seeking coins. Makes a save spot (s) along the way. Fun if like this style so have to give a 8.5/10 just for what it is.

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Hi Beergas, thanks for the feedback. I agree, small doses are fine.

My wife and I both got the Unexpected error message after playing the first level.

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Hi Jeffrey, Try going into compatibility mode and change some of the settings, ensure the admin checkbox in checked and if you're running the latest OS try choosing an earlier version from the drop-down menu. If none of those resolve the issue, check the FAQ's thread over in the Game discussion sticky section. I've linked to it in my review.

Thank you again! I like these sorts of games and with the horned caterpillar thing zapping me because it is low and green in the green "grass" it is almost like a HOG too!

Thank you GOTD & Falcoware :) Awesome!!! Plays nicely on my win 10 hp pavilion. I appreciate the variety of games being offered.

Unexpected error occurred when running the game. It won't open. What won't be unexpected is my uninstallation of it and my regret for ever burdening my PC with it.

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Hi Tom, I've installed this to a win 10 pro and a win 7 pro computer and the game ran fine on both computers. There could be some sort of conflict that is causing the issue. Try going into compatibility mode and change some of the settings, ensure the admin checkbox in checked and if you're running the latest OS try choosing an earlier version from the drop-down menu (via Settings compatibility tab). If none of those resolve the issue, check the FAQ's thread over in the Game discussion sticky section. I've linked to it in my review.

10 days on the trot with a game giveaway. Not seen such an event since April 2008.

Turtle Lu

In Brief

Turtle Lu is a basic action adventure platformer, similar to last weeks Funny Yo, with cute graphics and ideal for families with young children. It was originally given away here 1st July 2012. It received a 64% positive thumb up from 379 community votes. You can see the 62 comments HERE

Installation:

Turtle Lu downloads to a 60.6 MB zip file that unzips to three files, (a setup.gcd security wrapper, the set-up file and a read me). Those with multiple hard drives can save games on any drive they wish. The newly installed game is 58.5 MB in size. The game installs to the following path by default, but can be changed by the user if you prefer:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Turtle Lu

Introduction:

Day after day, Lu watched creepy little caterpillars crawl past his window; everywhere, like the pitter patter of birds on a tin roof and the squirming sensation of moles crawling under the floor. The days flew by, each like the one before, monotonous. Lu lay down with the sunset every night, and awoke to the cock-a-doodle doo of the rooster outside every morning.

The months passed by, the spring rain, autumn sun, leaves of fall and now the snow of winter is falling on the roof. Lu curled up in his shell and fell into a long, deep sleep. Winter was as it always is, and soon the first rays of the sun broke through the dirty, cobwebbed window. "It looks like it's time to wake up " he thought, opening his heavy eyes. As he crept outside his house, he was in for a big surprise. The little caterpillars had grown into giant, dangerous Monsters! Huge, angry bees circled around his home, stingers at the ready to sting! Mad urchins darted from house to house, destroying everything in their paths with fearsome needles! "This outrage must be stopped!" Lu exclaimed as he set out on his perilous journey

Edited reference accessed HERE. 27th November 2018

The Game:

Turtle Lu’s interface is simple and interactive, and ideal for kids who will probably enjoy its colourful graphics and cartoony characters.

The storyline revolves around a small turtle that embarks on a journey after waking up from its hibernation. On Turtle Lu’s journey he/she faces enemies, such as caterpillars, hedgehogs, bees and mice. Collecting coins gives you your score. There is a high score table where successive game scores are recorded, so you do have the opportunity to beat your previous scores (if you feel up to replaying the game), or the rest of your family and friends can try to beat yours. :). The more coins you collect, the bigger your final score will be.

This is one of those games I play in between other more interesting games; usually just to take a break for several minutes. I find Turtle Lu’s levels quite repetitive so playing for longer periods just doesn’t happen. My previous hi score from 2012, when I originally installed this game was still in my registry and appeared in the new installations hi score table. If you like platformers that aren’t too challenging (basically easy-peasy), or you have children, it's worth trying Turtle Lu.

The only review I found on Steam by BippoErnesti said it was a poorly designed generic platformer with music assets stolen from older video games for example Starlight Zone from sonic the Hedgehog and Arab rock from Aladdin. I cannot confirm whether those music assets are royalty free or not.

The options menu is basic with music, sound and screen toggles. There’s no resolution selection and no in game volume controls, so, if you find the music too loud or monotonous you can either turn it off or use the computers volume controls. The games key bindings are permanent, that is you cannot change them to suit your gameplay style. There is no advertising included in this game, i.e. no browsers are opened when you close the game down like MPC games.

Key bindings are as follows:

• W & up arrow = Jump up
• A & left arrow = Move left
• S & down arrow = Look down
• D & right arrow = Move right
• Space bar & J = Jump
• Esc = return to main menu (Y or N)
• Enter = Restart

There is only one profile available (unamed). If you choose a new game after leaving a previous game, the previous game will be over-written and unrecoverable (unless you make a backup of the save folder which is in the games installed folder

The premise of the game is to kill all the invaders, collect coins and make it to the exit portal before you run out of the five lives you start with. You must avoid the hedgehogs as they will automatically deduct one life from you, but you won’t be send back to the beginning unless you lose all your lives. To kill enemies (apart from the hedgehogs – which were the same hogs found in last week’s game, with those you could kill them, but that function is not available in this game (at least not so far). Once you’ve escaped the level your lost lives are returned, making it relatively easy to complete all the levels without having to start afresh. This is an ideal game for children from around 8 years of age onwards.

Whiterabbit-uk 27th November 2018

Videos ofTurtle Lu:

You can see a few in-game videos of game play HERE, HERE (Español) & HERE (русский).

Suggestions:

After you've had an opportunity to play today's giveaway please take a few moments to give some positive or negative feedback; for example, what you liked or disliked about the game, or how it could be improved. If you don't like the genre at all, please explain why and if any, what improvements would change your mind? If you don't have time to post a comment today, please do so at your convenience, thank you. If you wish to post a review or comment about the game later, you can access the comments section by going to the game giveaways home page, then scroll to the bottom of the page where it says Archives and select the date the giveaway was live (giveaway days are in bold type). This will open the appropriate page for you to post your comment or review. Alternatively, you can google the name of the game and include Gamegiveawayoftheday in the search. This should give you a list of links to whenever this game was given away.

If you miss today's game giveaway you can always get the game free via MyPlayCity 24/7 HERE; or If you prefer to purchase the game you can get it via Steam HERE. This was originally advertised as freeware on Falcowares web site before it was given away back in 2012. It appeared on Steams now defunct Greenlight project and finally released on Steam March this year HERE.

Problems getting the game to work:

If you're having problems installing or activating or getting Turtle Lu to work please visit the FAQ's Thread HERE and read through the communities comments because sometimes fixes have already been posted, for example, a common issue seen since the Themida wrapper was introduced three years ago is that some community members installation of the game are blocked by their security because Themida code has been known to hide malware, (usually an error message is flagged for example 'The executable is corrupted' even though in reality it is not); so as a precaution some anti malware programs will block and even delete the suspect installation files even though the files (i.e. the setup, read me and setup.gcd files are actually totally free from malware. This issue can be solved either by rebooting your computer in safe mode with networking or a quicker method is to temporarily turn off your security software to allow the installation. You could also try whitelisting the setup.gcd file. In the almost 12 years this game giveaway site has been operating there has 'never' been a game given away that was infected with malware.

If for any reason you want to contact the giveaway team, for example, you have a game to offer the community, or are unable to download the latest game or other issues that the FAQ's thread or these comments don't cover or solve you can do so HERE

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Falcoware for giving away Turtle Lu and also to the game giveaway team, as always, for securing other ways to get free games.

Useful Information not related to today's game giveaway:

If Turtle Lu doesn't interest you, but you still hanker for something new to play, you'll find details of some game deals whether they be sale items, indie bundles or games being given away for free HERE (I've not updated the thread in a while, but most of the links still take you to the latest deals).

The rest of the information that used to be posted in the game review can be found in the forums HERE. Finally, check out Delenns threads for details of other free games and offers HERE and elsewhere in the game discussion forums HERE, (usually on the first page of the game discussion forums).