One positive point that Spud has in its favor is the instruction booklet (remember, this is back in 1996 when game companies still felt benevolent enough to include such a trinket). For without this booklet, never would I have know the following--"Spud is the kind of kid all parents wish they had adopted instead of having children themselves. Well behaved, honest, kind to animals and a big fan of vegetables and having his face scrubbed clean by his mother's spittle soaked handkerchief when out shopping. Yes that's his public face, away from the glare of the cameras he's just like every other street-wise, smart-ass kid." Wait a minute, this "street-wise, smart-ass kid" is so dumb that he doesn't even have a clue that his grandpa is Santa Claus until he is kidnaped. He never finds it suspicious that Gramps shares his house with three talking reindeer or that his basement is full of toys. The only clue we ever have that Spud is street-wise is that he wears his baseball cap backwards. And about those reindeer ...

Rudolph, Donner, Blitzen and Prancer are all roommates of Santa. Well actually, Prancer is an inflatable reindeer that Spud finds under Santa's bed. Hmmm. If you think that is strange then consider the following. Early in the game, Spud needs to get the attention of the reindeer so they will fly the sleigh to rescue Santa. Spud spots Donner in the shower and lets out a long wolf whistle. Then in true adventure fashion, since Donner can't hear you above the din of the shower, you whip out a wrench from your inventory and shut off the hot water valve. As Donner slowly turns around you notice that she has huge breasts! She then says in a sexy voice, "Why Spud, who else could give a girl a hot flash on a cold night like this?" As she pulls the shower curtain aside Donner then remarks, "Oh Spud, I thought it was your Grandpa again!" Draw your own conclusions here, but personally, I think this game should have been called Stud.

The voice acting, with one glaring exception, is intentionally humorous. The Emperor Penguin excellently mimics Marlon Brando as The Godfather. The Jamaican accents on the island are extremely authentic. It is Spud, the voice you hear the most, who is a problem. He is supposed to be a young teenager, but his voice sounds akin to a raspy sailor who has been out drinking and carousing all night. Spud's deep, throaty inflections actually had me questioning what the developers of this game were smoking for pleasure.