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After remaining dormant for over a year now, Addictive are back with an arcade adventure featuring their new hero, Arac - short for Arachnid.

Arac is really a droid. He can glide left and right, and climb vines and other assorted shrubbery by a kind of springing action. Protruding from the top of his head is a spout from which ho ejaculates his nets. Now you might be wandering what he is doing throwing nets about - well, it's quite simple really...

To transform Arac into a spidery type creature - which is what he really wants - you must guide him around a maze, capturing all sorts of helpful creatures. A not is launched by pressing the fire button, and it continues flying until the fire button is released. Pushing up on the joystick increases the trajectory of the shot.

There are five different creatures, and each has its own characteristics. The MALEVOLENT MAN O' WAR is a sort of jellyfish which absorbs a great deal of energy and must be stunned before it can be netted. The BIG BORER lurks in the undergrowth and takes the occasional nip at any passing vine climber. When harnessed it can prove extremely useful as it can gnaw through various walls, making Arac's exploration that much easier. Unfortunately it escapes after use, so another has to be captured if Arac wishes to bore again.

HAYS flounder around and are helpful when caught as they can blind radars. ROCK HOPPERS are very nervous and energetic, but really quite useful when it comes to collecting an arachnid add-on. STINGERS absorb Arac's energy on contact, but enable Arac to fly when attached to his head.

One of the reasons why it is nice to be a spider is that it is a darn sight easier to move around. Arac doesn't have to bother with all this pansy bouncing - as a spider he can fall upwards and walk along the roofs. But in order to be able to transform into a spider, he has to find two legs and a bulbous body. Only then, when all this force is gathered, can he attempt to deactivate three reactors in the fortified Citadel, guarded by a bunch of highly aggressive robots.

Once in the Citadel, Arac must make his way through the complex maze, past the sentries, and into the heart of the building where he must stop the reactors from overheating by shooting out the cores before they burn through. And if that wasn't enough, he's only got thirty minutes - at most...

I've never liked Football Manager, and Software Star was even worse. As for Stringer...well, the less said about that the better. Basically, I don't think Addictive have ever released anything of merit on the 64. Until now, anyway.

Arac is great - one of the more playable, arcade adventures available. The graphics are really neat - well defined with plenty of colour - but the sound is awful. Still, the game itself is cool and should not be missed.

I like Arac, he's a cool droid. The game itself is the best arcade adventure I have played for yonks - OK, so the sound isn't up to much, but the excellent gameplay makes up for that. A neat feature is the option to choose a short game - playing this version allows you to use Arac in his arachnid form without having to collect all the pieces first.

This makes the game playable for the hardened arcade player and the novice alike. The graphics are excellent and it really deserves to do well.

Original and refreshing games on the Commodore seem few and far between these days. Arac is one of those rarities. It's a very unusual, and graphically excellent arcade adventure where you have to explore a one hundred location complex and shut down the reactor. Doing so is a difficult task and it requires quite a bit of thought and arcade skill to do so. All the locations are extremely well drawn, with great use of colour giving a very pleasant overall effect. The main sprite is brilliant, especially when it goes into arachnid mode, and the animals inhabiting the complex are all big and nicely animated too. Sound is tacking, but you can't have everything. If you're into arcade adventures then give this a go - it's well worth the money.

Presentation 92%
Long or short game option, adequate title screen and good use of icons.

Graphics 94%
Large, well animated sprites and colourful backdrops.

Sound 10%
Weak FX and very little of them.

Hookability 94%
The choice of a long or short game makes it easy to get into.

Lastability 93%
Lots to see and do.

Value For Money 90%
Worth any arcade adventurer's time and money.

Overall 93%
A neat arcade adventure with many unusual touches.