Every now and then, Mastertronic would release a budget game that could stand toe-to-toe with full-price titles—sometimes even surpassing them. Street Beat is a perfect example. Originally launched as Ghettoblaster by Virgin Games for £8.95 back in 1985, it was later re-released a few years later as a budget title with the new name.
You take on the role of Rockin’ Rodney, a newly hired messenger for Significance Records. Your mission? Deliver 10 demo tapes to the company’s head office on Funky Street before the counter reaches 999—all while getting the townsfolk grooving to your beats!
As you explore the many streets of Funky Town, you’ll notice houses with flashing doors—these are where you’ll collect each tape. But to blast your music, you’ll need batteries, which you can pick up from one of the town’s Electrical shops. Once powered up, hit F5 to start playing music, then use your joystick’s fire button to shoot musical notes that make people dance. The number of dancers required depends on how long it took you to return your previous tape to Significance Records.
Need to pump up the volume? F1 increases it, extending your notes’ reach. But be warned—if the police are around and your music is too loud, they won’t be happy! You can lower the volume with F3 to avoid trouble.
Battery life is another thing to keep an eye on. Once the indicator turns red, you don’t have long before your ghettoblaster dies—so dash to the nearest Electrical shop to get fresh batteries before it’s too late!
As the game progresses, new dangers appear. Some characters will steal your tapes, while others will damage your ghettoblaster. Thankfully, repair shops can help, but they can only fix your player a couple of times before it’s beyond repair and it’s game over.
If your music stops—whether due to dead batteries or a broken ghettoblaster—everyone you got dancing will stop too, and you’ll have to start all over.
Every so often, you’ll get a heads-up about a house party or a pub in need of a DJ. If it’s a house party, quickly dart into the houses on screen. Enter the right one, and you’ll get the whole party dancing!
If you’re lucky enough to bump into Jumpin’ Jack Flash, he’ll give you a free ride—either to the nearest house with a tape or straight back to Significance Records if you’re already carrying one. It’s a lifesaver, considering how easy it is to get lost in Funky Town.
There’s also a time limit. As you progress, the counter on your ghettoblaster rises. Once it hits 999, it’s game over. As you collect more tapes, the difficulty ramps up—you’ll need to get more people dancing while dodging an increasing number of nasty characters trying to ruin your day.
I absolutely adore this game. In fact, I can confidently say it’s one of my all-time favorites on any system. The graphics are fantastic, the soundtrack is packed with great tunes, and the gameplay strikes the perfect balance between simple and challenging. You even get a funky looking Geordi La Forge lookalike on the front cover! What more could you want?
