<s>
Boffin	B-Application
is	O
a	O
platform	O
game	O
published	O
in	O
1985	O
by	O
Addictive	O
Games	O
for	O
the	O
Acorn	B-Device
Electron	I-Device
and	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
in	O
1984	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
subsequently	O
re-released	O
in	O
1985	O
with	O
one	O
side	O
of	O
the	O
tape	O
now	O
featuring	O
its	O
sequel	O
Boffin	B-Application
2	O
,	O
which	O
ran	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
and	O
the	O
Electron	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
must	O
guide	O
the	O
Boffin	B-Application
through	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
caverns	O
by	O
moving	O
him	O
around	O
the	O
platforms	O
and	O
obstacles	O
on	O
the	O
levels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Boffin	B-Application
can	O
only	O
jump	O
short	O
distances	O
,	O
but	O
he	O
can	O
fall	O
from	O
any	O
height	O
by	O
opening	O
his	O
umbrella	O
to	O
slow	O
his	O
descent	O
to	O
a	O
safe	O
speed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
level	O
ends	O
when	O
the	O
player	O
touches	O
an	O
owl	B-Language
which	O
is	O
usually	O
located	O
at	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
'	O
lucky	O
 '	O
owl	B-Language
can	O
only	O
be	O
touched	O
without	O
resulting	O
in	O
death	O
if	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
'	O
unlucky	O
 '	O
upside-down	O
horseshoes	O
have	O
been	O
destroyed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
umbrella	O
mechanic	O
was	O
unique	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
and	O
means	O
that	O
many	O
levels	O
progress	O
from	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
to	O
the	O
bottom	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
unusual	O
as	O
most	O
platformers	O
since	O
Donkey	B-Application
Kong	I-Application
required	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
travel	O
from	O
bottom	O
to	O
top	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
remain	O
motionless	O
until	O
the	O
Boffin	B-Application
is	O
in	O
their	O
line	O
of	O
sight	O
,	O
then	O
rapidly	O
run	O
forwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
in	O
October	O
1984	O
on	O
one	O
cassette	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
1985	O
it	O
received	O
an	O
upgraded	O
second	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
cassette	B-Device
now	O
containing	O
two	O
different	O
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
version	O
on	O
the	O
tape	O
(	O
confusingly	O
referred	O
to	O
as	O
'	O
version	O
2	O
 '	O
and	O
sometimes	O
known	O
as	O
Boffin	B-Application
2	O
)	O
features	O
twenty	O
five	O
caverns	O
and	O
is	O
playable	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
and	O
Acorn	B-Device
Electron	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
version	O
on	O
the	O
tape	O
( 	O
 '	O
version	O
1	O
 '	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
release	O
)	O
is	O
still	O
only	O
playable	O
on	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
only	O
,	O
featuring	O
twenty	O
different	O
caverns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
'	O
Version	O
2	O
 '	O
is	O
in	O
the	O
very	O
blocky	O
graphical	O
Mode	O
5	O
(	O
possibly	O
Mode	O
2	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
different	O
memory	O
requirements	O
allowing	O
it	O
to	O
run	O
on	O
both	O
the	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
and	O
Electron	O
,	O
whilst	O
'	O
version	O
1	O
 '	O
is	O
in	O
the	O
much	O
more	O
defined	O
(	O
but	O
less	O
colourful	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
the	O
magazine	O
did	O
not	O
award	O
scores	O
,	O
the	O
review	O
concludes	O
that	O
despite	O
there	O
being	O
many	O
similar	O
games	O
on	O
the	O
market	O
,	O
"	O
Boffin	B-Application
...	O
has	O
sufficient	O
originality	O
to	O
succeed	O
against	O
all	O
the	O
competition	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Superior	B-Device
Software	I-Device
later	O
released	O
a	O
similar	O
game	O
Elixir	B-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
a	O
scientist	O
is	O
shrunk	O
to	O
miniature	O
size	O
and	O
must	O
navigate	O
around	O
his	O
laboratory	O
to	O
collect	O
items	O
to	O
restore	O
his	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
