Wriggler

Ross: Romantic Robot's not a name I'd come across before, so I was very pleasantly surprised by this game. You're a contestant in the Annual Maggot Marathon, so all you have to do is wriggle your way to the finish.

The area of play covers 256 screens and features a whole geography of distinctly different landscapes, each with its own problems. You start the race with three competitors but they soon head off in different directions. You have the choice of following them or making your own way. The paths you follow are bordered by multi-coloured foliage - similar species to those growing in Sabre Wulf. All the time you're racing, your energy decreases, so you must either eat or become just another pile of bones in the lonely wastes. Food, in the form of ice creams or cups of tea can be picked up and eaten whenever you're on your last legs (legs? maggots? Oh, well! lid).

Two varieties of ants and spiders lurk within the leaves - the first are relatively harmless, but watch out for the others, they're deadly.

The graphics are very good if a little sparse but they do become repetitive and the game plays on the slow side. All in all, a respectable runner-up rather than a winner. 3/5 MISS

Dave: A very original game with fun graphics, but it's a touch slow to play. There's a large area to explore but illogical layout makes mapping difficult. 3.5/5 HIT

Roger: I'd like to say this was rotten to the core but you won't worm it out of me... MISS

ZX Spectrum
£4.95
Arcade Maze
Romantic Robot

Restful little game which comes with musical soundtrack "The moons of Jupiter" by Alex Goldscheider on the flip-side. In the 30 year-long maggot race you must move through four main areas: the garden, the scrubland, the underground and the mansion. You collect food and objects in the usual way. The graphics are very nice and this may appeal to people who find Atic-Atac too hectic.