Rupert and the Toymaker's Party

Rick: Hey, this one is really weird man! See, there's this bear who wears these wacky yanky golfing pants and he can walk, jump and - wait for it - climb the stairs. But he doesn't drink lager, well this is one for the kids, innit?

Rupert (that's the bear's name kids) has got to collect his many invitations to see his even wierder friends Bill the Badger and Podgy the Pig - you know one of those parties! Well Rupert needs more invitations than Podgy's had hot dinners, and not only that, naughty toy soldiers and toy trains try to trip him up along the way, though some will be very good sports and help him. They'll need to 'cos you have to go through four linked screens for each of the eight levels.

Unfortunately Rupert also has an embarrassing speech impediment which means all the screen instructions are in dum-di-dum rhyming couplets which will maim many an innocent ear to the power of poetry.

The toymaker's castle, its corridors and castellations were presumably built by Barrett - or does that reflect the quality of the graphics? Rupert does look quite a lot like he did in the comic, though some wish he'd stay there. Oh, and he still wears that scarf to hide his love bites.

Quicksilva hasn't aimed so much at the mega-tots but their spinster aunts who feel that if Toby or Fenella have to have one of those awful computer games then this safe, competent platform game is the one to get. I'm afraid though that little Toby will be out on the corner with that vulgar Wayne doing a deal for a quick Buck Rogers. 4/10

Ross: Frankie goes to the toymaker's party in this cute number. Not as good as the (dare I say it?) Commie version, but it'll do. 6/10

Dougie: Frankly, I'd still prefer a copy of the annual in my Christmas stocking 4/10

CBM-64 and Spectrum
Quicksilva
Arcade Adventure
£7.99

Rupert's chums are holding a wild party - oodles of currant buns and lashings of pop. But getting the ancient teddy bear there on time is going to be no picnic.

You have to manoeuvre the geriatric Rupert through seven screens of great graphics to what are presumably his sixty-fifth birthday celebrations. Rupert's first computer escapade is played our in and around the Toymaker's castle.

The toymaker himself never puts in an appearance but there are plenty of his products about - most of the toys are out of control and aiming to make a nasty mess of the cuddly bear. But animal lovers shouldn't worry; no nasty incidents of mammal mangled in clockwork. The worst that happens is that Rupert takes a tumble and after six of those the game ends.

Toymaker's Party is a platform game with the action viewed from the side. You have to get Rupert to collect the party invitations pinned to the walls to progress to the booze and buns.

He hops and jumps energetically over an assortment of runaway jack-in-the-boxes, toy soldiers and trains, ande can hitch a lift to safety on the back of magpies and toy aeroplanes. Be careful in the latter stages - toys that were benign become killers and what were dangerous gafgets suddenly become Rupert's allies.

The setting for this game may be out of the nursery, but it's good clean fun to play and the graphics and music are as good at any you'll find in in a CBM-64 platform adventure.