Episode 8 Ludus

16, 17, 18, 19...

Guys, we're missing a bug here. Have a look around, OK?

Hi, I'm Ludus.

You know, everyone's like, "Oh, look at Ludus, he's such a bad guy!"

But, actually, no, I'm a lot of fun.

I've turned the friends and family

of three Earth twerps into holograms.

The Earth twerps are flying to the levels of Ludus

to play my games and rescue their loved ones.

Want to play too? Then download my free app

from the CBBC website.

Time to take on, once more,

the levels of Ludus!

Welcome on board the Herculean.

I'm the ship's computer and your

guide through the levels of Ludus.

My data processing is detecting the presence of three gamers

from the Earth location of Caerleon.

Gamer number one - Lloyd.

12 Earth years old,

a sporty human who loves music.

Gamer number two - Jodie,

also 12, an intelligent gamer

who partakes in loud dancing.

Gamer number three - Dan, also 12,

captain for Wales'

under-15 basketball team.

Gamers, you have been in hyper-sleep

and are now flying through deep space.

We don't have much time before your mission begins,

prepare for your briefing!

Your mission is to rescue your friends and family,

who have been turned into holograms by the dastardly Ludus.

To rescue them, you must visit six levels,

each with a different game to play.

Win, and you will save your friend in a holobox to download on Earth.

Lose, and they'll be uploaded into Ludus's game for all time.

Time to find out who you're playing to save.

Lloyd?

My dad and my sister Lauren.

-Jodie?

-I'm playing for my mum

and my sister Danielle.

-Dan?

-I'm playing to save my dad

and my cousin Nathan.

Are you ready to take on

the levels of Ludus?

ALL: Yes!

Then, Pilot, let's fly to Level 1.

PILOT SCREECHES

THEY SCREAM

It's nearly time for Level 1,

download my app and play along.

Download the app now,

game begins shortly.

We are now docking at Level 1.

Collecting data.

Team comprises of two males and one female.

Gaming skills - 82%.

Optimism - 89%.

Status - ready.

Hello, Earth twerps!

Welcome to my humble virtual kingdom of me!

So, are you ready to save your friends and family?

ALL: Yes!

Are you any good at gaming?

Erm, I think so...

Well, I think you're going to fail miserably.

Oh, thanks. Yeah.

Jodie, what's with the spots?

-It's called fashion.

-Whatever.

Well, let's get this show on the rocket launcher.

In this game, you need to fire your ticks

and land them on the gold square.

But watch out for the vortex.

Get too close

and your ticks will disappear.

You need nine ticks on the square

at the end of 60 seconds.

Win, and you'll save one of your precious Earth twerps.

Lose, and I'll upload them into my game FOR EVER.

So, who are you going to play for first?

Lloyd's dad or sister Lauren?

Dan's dad or cousin Nathan?

Or Jodie's mum or sister Danielle?

Who loves their family the most?

Well...

Right, we should save someone.

Let's save my cousin. Let's save my cousin, yeah. OK.

Take your place at the table.

Gamers, you have 60 seconds

to win back Dan's cousin.

Are you ready at home? The game begins in three, two, one...

Go!

OK, gentle.

That's it, gently does it.

They've got one tick

on the gold square.

Dan just sent a tick

straight down the vortex there.

Bad times, Dan. Bad times.

40 seconds.

Well, they seem to be getting the knack of this.

It's always good if you can bounce

the ticks off the edges.

Third tick there on the gold square.

Oh, good move, they got

four ticks on the gold square.

Remember, they need to get nine ticks on the square

at the end of 60 seconds.

That's a tick flying down

the vortex there. Ha-ha-ha.

Hmm, they've got six ticks

on the gold square.

But it's the final countdown.

Eight, seven, six...

Have they got enough time to get

the final few ticks on the square?

It's going to be really close.

Two, one.

-Gamers, you have won.

-Oh, no!

DAN CHUCKLES

You know, kids, the idea of the game is to lose.

Erm, no, that's for you, Ludus.

For us, it's all the winning.

Well, you've just won back cousin Nathan,

which I'm actually pretty thrilled about

because he's a real pain in the neck.

You can now collect your holobox and return to the Herculean.

DAN SINGS

Congratulations, gamers.

You have won.

Place Dan's cousin into the holoport to download later.

ALL: Bye, bye!

Gamers, you still have five of your friends and family to win back.

Pilot, let's fly to Level 2.

The next level is a single-player game.

Warning, gamers.

The pilot has momentarily lost control of the ship's thrusters.

Do not panic.

THEY SCREAM

Attention, gamers.

The pilot informs me we are now flying with full power.

Selecting player for next level.

Jodie selected.

We are now docking at Level 2.

Jodie has a pet dog called Rex.

I have a USB stick called Snowy.

But enough small talk.

Hello, Jodie.

Welcome to Level 2.

Let's prepare, shall we?

Let's do this.

Tread carefully. There's only

one safe path to the tick here,

and you've only got a smidgeon of time to memorise it.

You'll then need to retrace the path

by pressing one square at a time.

Take a wrong turn

and you'll have to start again.

I'm only going to give you 60 seconds.

Win, and you'll save one of your precious Earth twerps.

Lose, and they'll be uploaded into my game FOR EVER.

So, Jodie, who are you going to play for?

Lloyd's dad or sister Lauren?

Dan's dad?

Or your mum or sister Danielle?

Please can I have Danielle?

Take your place at the table.

Gamer, you have 60 seconds to win back your sister.

Are you ready at home?

The game begins in three, two, one... Go.

Jodie must use her puny Earth brain

to remember the path.

But will it all be too much?

I suspect so.

Off we go, she had that right...

Oh, ha-ha, wrong. Start again.

-Which way now, Jodie?

-40 seconds.

That's wrong though, start again.

Which way is she going to go?

Hmm, which way?

She's getting it right here.

30 seconds.

Getting close to that tick.

Wrong, start again!

How are you doing at home?

She's thinking about it.

She's thinking, "Which way is it,

"Ludus? I can't remember your path."

Ha-ha, that's because I made

this one extra tough. Yeah.

She's got ten seconds left.

-Ten, nine...

-It's not a lot of time

if she's going to make it to the tick.

-..Six, five...

-One square left,

yeah, push that one. Not that!

Oh, she's made it!

Gamer, you have won.

I don't know what to say.

How did you do that?

-Knowledge.

-Interesting tactic.

Hmmm. I'll make sure to look out for that in the future.

You can now collect your holobox and return to the Herculean.

Congratulations, gamers.

DAN SINGS

Jodie, place your sister in the holoport,

and you can download her later.

Download you later, Danielle.

Pilot, let's fly to the next level.

I can confirm that the Herculean is presently hurtling

towards Level 3.

Gamers have been provided with light refreshments.

Request motivational music ahead of the next game.

Could we have, erm... Don't Stop Me Now by Queen?

Searching all drives for Queen.

Queen found.

Queen of song, Susan Boyle.

Yes, yes!

Susan Boyle, please.

# I dreamed a dream in time gone by... #

Lloyd, detecting this is your favourite music.

# ..And life worth living

# I dreamed that love would never die... #

PILOT SCREECHES

Lloyd, the pilot hates your taste in music.

It wasn't my choice.

End of motivational music.

The Herculean is approaching the docking station.

Gamers standing by.

Gamers have won two holoboxes.

They are motivated following their Susan Boyle moment.

Spirit at an all-time high.

Oh, look. It's the dream team.

Well, you guys look like you mean business.

Mwahaha!

Good laugh, Dan.

Do you want to join my evil gang?

Tempting, but no.

-I'll join.

-Great!

We'll steal sweets from kids and destroy planets.

Yeah, everybody has a hobby.

Exactly. Just a bit of fun.

Like Jodie's top.

Just a bit of fun, not serious!

In this game, you need to match

the bugs on the bottom bar

with the bugs in the middle

of the screen.

Don't see the bug?

Hit the blue arrow to pass.

You've got 60 seconds,

but if you lose,

your precious Earth twerp will be

uploaded into my game FOR EVER.

So, who are you going to play for?

Lloyd's dad or sister Lauren?

Dan's dad? Or Jodie's mum?

-Right.

-I think one of Lloyd's now because...

-Yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

-So would you like your sister or your dad?

Sorry, Lauren, but it's going to be Dad. Yeah.

Gamers, take your place at the table.

Gamers, you have 60 seconds to win back Lloyd's dad.

Are you ready at home? The game begins in three, two, one...

Go!

They've got their first pair,

and matched the second one.

These guys seem to be doing

pretty well.

Yeah, it's a good start,

which is pretty annoying.

Erm...that one is...

Yeah, that one's...

She is a hoot.

Ah, believe me.

That ginger thing.

"That ginger thing" is Fred,

I'll have you know, Lloyd.

Yeah, he's one of my favourite bugs. So...

That one, that one, no, that one.

That one's not here.

No, it was, it was there.

Bit of an argument breaking out

amongst the troops here. I like it.

Fight, fight, fight!

There's only 15 seconds left.

It's not looking good for them,

really, is it? Fighting and arguing.

Oh, four bugs left to match.

You got that one wrong. Woo-hoo!

Three bugs to match

with only three seconds to go.

There's no way they're going

to do the... What?!

Gamers, you have won.

Yes, by the last second.

You make me sick.

Take that!

Why, this is scandalous!

You can now collect your holobox

and return to the Herculean.

DAN SINGS

Congratulations, gamers.

You have won back Lloyd's dad.

Lloyd, place your dad into the holoport to download later.

Prepare yourselves for Level 4.

Pilot, let's fly.

OK, you've got like

minus ten seconds to download my app

and be ready to play too.

So go to the CBBC website.

Come on, come on, come on.

The next level is a single-player game.

Dan has been selected.

Dan plays the cornet,

and I'm talking brass instrument here,

not ice creams.

Hey, Dan.

How's that evil laugh coming along?

Mwahahaha.

I could use that, OK, here I...I'm going to try that.

Mwahahahaha.

Was that good?

That was pretty cool for a beginner.

OK, let's check out your game.

This game is a really difficult numbers game.

First, tap the numbers on screen

in order, from lowest to highest.

Then you've got to add the numbers

together with your brain,

and drag them over

to the correct total.

You need to get it right four times in 60 seconds.

But if you lose, your precious Earth twerp will be

uploaded into my game FOR EVER.

So, who are you going to play for this time?

Will it be Lloyd's sister? Your dad?

Or Jodie's mum?

I think I'm going to go for my dad.

-Really?

-Yep.

-Why?

Hmm, as annoying as he may be, he's still family.

Oh, that is truly touching.

Huh, OK. Let's do this.

Gamer, you have 60 seconds to win back your dad.

And are you ready at home?

The game begins in three, two, one...

Go.

Oh, Dan's struggling

with tapping the numbers

from lowest to highest there.

But, hey, we all have our foibles.

Now, can he add them up?

Yes, he can.

That's annoying.

He's clearly a maths whiz,

and we'll have to make the next

one much harder.

40 seconds.

13 plus one...

Oh, he got it right.

He needs to get two more

if he's going to win.

He looks like he's concentrating.

You can practically hear

the cogs in his head work.

He's got that one right as well.

He only needs to get

one more to win.

No, but this one's

trickier, though, yeah.

Let's see how he does with this one.

Bringing out the big numbers, huh?

Ten, nine...

Ha-ha! Oh, he got it wrong. Ah, not

that clever now, are you, Dan?

Running out of time.

One last chance. Oh, that's not it!

Gamer, you have lost.

Oh, Dan. How do you feel?

Erm, kind of happy, kind of sad.

Really?

Little bit dark, little bit miserable?

You can stop now.

I told you this would happen. Your gameplay was lame.

You've lost.

Your dad is stuck in the game.

DAN SOBS

-Never mind, Dan.

-Commiserations, gamers.

Don't be too disheartened.

Gamers, you still have two people left to save.

So far, you have saved Lloyd's dad,

Dan's cousin and Jodie's sister.

Unfortunately, Dan's dad wasn't so lucky,

and is stuck on Level 4.

Selecting two-player team.

Yeah!

Skill set - high.

Level 5.

What's this I see before me?

A two-headed monster?

Hey!

Kidding, I can see it's you two Earth twiddlers! Ha-ha-ha!

OK, let's run the rules.

In this game, you must work

as a team and use your bats

to stop your precious tick

from hitting the spiky walls.

Too easy? Abso-gaming-lutely!

That's why my marching band

of bugs will be invading too.

HE SINGS

You have 60 seconds.

If you hit the spikes more

than five times, you will lose,

and your precious Earth twerp will

be uploaded into my game FOR EVER.

So, who are you going to play for?

Lloyd's sister Lauren?

Or Jodie's mum?

-Which one, Dan?

-Erm, I don't know.

Shall we like, rock, paper, scissors?

-Yeah? All right.

-I'll be Jodie's mum.

-OK, right.

Rock, paper, scissors.

-Right.

-OK, it's Jodie's mum.

-OK.

Gamers, take your place at the table.

Gamers, you have 60 seconds to win back Jodie's mum.

Are you ready at home? The game begins in three, two, one...go.

And we're off, look at these bugs,

hungry for a win.

They absolutely love this game.

You can look at their little faces,

they are determined to make

these guys hit a spike.

But so far, no such luck.

Hmm, these guys are good.

I underestimated these Earth twerps,

I really did.

Come on, bugs, let's step it up

a little bit here, huh?

Spike, yes, ha-ha-ha.

Well done, bugs, you've got them

on the ropes now.

Remember, they can't hit the spikes

more than five times.

Oh, they're doing well there, yep.

Playing around a bit. Oh, spike!

20 seconds.

That's made it interesting.

Four more, come on, bugs.

Oh, don't let them...yeah!

Move it out the way.

Good work, bugs.

Oh, that one. Only ten seconds left.

Oh, it's not looking good,

come on, bugs, do something here.

..four, three...

I can't let them win another one.

But there's not enough time.

Gamers, you have won.

How did you win that?

Erm, luck.

What's luck?

Erm, Dan.

-Dan is your luck?

-Yeah.

How convenient.

You can now collect your holobox and return to the Herculean.

Congratulations, gamers.

-Woop, woop!

-Show the box.

You have won back Jodie's mum.

Jodie, place your mum into the holoport to download later.

See you later!

Pilot, let's fly to the next level.

Selecting player for single-player game.

Lloyd selected. Level 6.

Lloyd plays the drums and guitar,

but not at the same time,

that's just ridiculous.

Hey, Lloyd. Welcome to Level 6.

-Are you feeling confident?

-Ish.

OK, get your peanut-sized brain around this.

This game is a race.

You must guide your tick through

the maze by using the paddles.

Don't let your tick

hit the laser beam.

If you do, you'll be sent back.

Watch out for my bugs,

they'll be trying

to get in your way.

To win, you must reach the finish line

in just 60 seconds.

But if you lose,

your precious Earth twerp will be

uploaded into my game FOR EVER.

So, there's only one Earth twerp left for you to play for -

it's your sister, Lauren.

OK, take your place at the table.

OK.

And are you ready at home?

The game begins in three, two, one...go.

Well, Lloyd off to a flying start there.

What we need is a little defence.

Oh, bug, you've missed him.

Yeah, this kid's good.

OK, who let this kid in?

Is he a pro gamer or something?

Bugs, you need to step up

and stop this guy.

-No, come on.

-40 seconds.

It's just not good enough.

Oh, he's going to make this easily.

Come on, he's getting a little

closer here to the laser beam.

Laser beam.

Yes, yes, that'll set him back a little bit.

Come on, no.

Laser beam!

Double-laser beam. Ha!

I am feeling tense,

these are amazing scenes

here on Level 6 today.

Honestly, I am so exited,

I might just pee my pants.

Can he do it?

The finishing line is in sight.

There's not much time left.

He's getting close.

Oh, my gosh, is he going to do it?

I've never seen anything like it.

Yes, yes!

Gamer, you have won.

I am truly astounded.

Oh, this is getting ridiculous.

If I wasn't so angry you'd won,

I'd be impressed.

Thanks.

You can now collect your holobox and return to the Herculean.

Uh-huh, go team! Go team!

Congratulations, gamers.

Lloyd, place your sister into the holoport to download later.

You have played six levels

and won back five holoboxes.

Unfortunately, Dan's dad has been uploaded

into Ludus's game for all time.

PILOT SCREECHES

But now you must face Ludus one more time to win your own tickets home.

Pilot, fly at warp speed to the final level.

Gamers, hold tight.

THEY SCREAM

Gamers, we are now docking at the final level.

Ludus is waiting for you.

Reading team for the final game.

Nerves - 42%.

Determination - 79%.

So, you made it this far.

This is the final game.

Here's how it's going to go down.

One of these ticks is your return ticket home.

Who knew?

All you have to do is keep an eye on it.

If you pick the right tick,

you'll win a return ticket home

and go back to Earth, hurray.

But if you pick my bug, you will be stranded here in the levels of Ludus

FOR EVER,

and you'll have to work for me and, trust me, you won't like it.

Got it?

Dan, see if you can catch your ticket.

It's time to mix the ticks.

Do you know which one it is?

I think so.

No.

Oh, it was on the right.

Ha-ha-ha.

Oh, how do you feel?

Really irritated.

Oh, no(!)

Lloyd, let's see what you're made of.

It's time to mix the ticks.

-Do you think you know which one it is?

-No. No.

-Are you just going for a guess?

-Yeah.

Oh, oh, no.

Oh, you and Dan and two mops.

I hope you're looking forward to it.

-Yeah.

-That's great news.

It is, yeah.

Jodie, do your finest.

-One of us needs to go home.

-Oh, gosh!

And are you playing along at home?

It's time to mix the ticks.

Have you lost it?

I think I lost it.

I think we've all lost it a little bit today.

Well, that's super-stuper.

How do you feel?

Oh, disappointed.

Dan, Jodie and Lloyd, you messed up.

So, by the powers invested in me... blah-di-blah-di-blah...

You must stay on the levels of Ludus for all eternity...and mop!

I can report the Herculean has lost all passengers.

Pilot to transport rescued holoboxes back to Earth unassisted.

Woo. I need a vacation after that, seriously.

Book me on to a first-class flight to Venus, baby.

And don't forget to join me next time, when three more puny

Earth twerps will face the might of Ludus, and hope they'll have a tan!

Until then, goodbye.

Did you play along at home?

How did you do?

Better than those guys, huh?

Want to download my free app

from the CBBC website

and play along next time?

Mop harder, come on, guys! Ha-ha!