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Travel loads of platform levels, whacking Roman guards and using magic potions to reach the kidnapped Getafix.

Sacre-flippin'-bleu! Those plucky Gauls are in a 50 BC-type anti-Roman uproar! The local Roman garrison are fed up with getting smacked around by the super-tough Gauls they're supposed to be subjugating but now they're discovered their secret - Getafix the druid's magic super-human strength potion!

To keep the Gauls weak, the Romans have kidnapped Getafix and have transported him back to Rome to torture him into producing the potion for their armies. So it's down to the heroic Asterix and his rotund pal Obelix to fight their way through six multi-stage levels leading from Gaul to Rome, to rescue Getafix and get him back to safety while they've still got the potion coursing through their French veins.

Battles of magical concoctions help get the guys across otherwise impassable obstacles by supplying the drinker with up to three shots of magic. Use them wisely, though, because if you use your three shots in the wrong place you'll need to go back for another bottle, and all the while the timer's ticking down!

1. Bombs
   Blow up baddies by tossing these mini-grenades at them.
2. Clouds
   Create a vapour-type platform which is enough to give the guys a leg-up.
3. Floaters
   Magic platforms which act as lifts up to lofty heights.

The game starts in the Gaul's village in sunny Gaul (aka 'France'). Each of the six stages is set in a different country on the road to Rome, and each stage is cut down into a series of 'huts', which are further divided into 'rooms'.

But even Gaul's rooms aren't free of Roman occupation and there are legions of legionnaires wandering around the decorative platforms therein.

As either Asterix or his Obelix, get from the left of each 'room' to the right in a limited amount of time. To make things more difficult, some rooms are completely impassable, unless Asterix can use some Gallic magic to bridge unleapable gaps or destroy hostile creatures.

Though they've had to go without since Getafix disappeared, Asterix and Obelix have still got some potion power left and so they can still whack even the heavily-armoured Romans off those platforms with a well-aimed punch.

The feeble legionnaires are offered with a single punch, but the high-ranking centurions can stand up to three or four hits before they expire.

Zut alors! I've often complained about Megadrive games being too easy, but Asterix goes in completely the opposite direction. Most of the time you can't avoid things like spears which are being thrown at you or dying because you're having to jump to platforms you can't even see.

There are really crazy features too, like the way the underwater sections are just more platform sections with a blue wash over the screen - there's no swimming or air limits as you might expect.

Video games are supposed to be fun, but this just drove me up the wall and I certainly wouldn't want to play it again.

Grrrrr! Since I couldn't get my hands on Asterix, himself or better still, the programmer of this blasted game, the cart came in some pretty rough treatment when I tried to play it - it's so damn frustrating!

I love a tough game, but when you have sections where there's no way you can avoid death and a ridiculously tight time limit it just winds you up. Asterix is supposed to be a hard man but even little bunnies can kill him!

Graphically, the game is ace with all the characters faithfully represented and there are loads of levels - I just doubt anyone will want to plough through them.

Presentation 77%
P. A fair number of options.
N. Not much in the way of presentation screens.

Graphics 89%
P. The sprites are excellent representations of their cartoon counterparts, and the backgrounds are nice and colourful too.

Sound 80%
P. Pleasant background tunes in a Jean-Michel Jarre style...
N. ...which are, of course, completely unsuited to a game set in 50 BC

Playability 56%
N. Ooh! There are so many annoying features to trap you, and even if you escape those the maddeningly tight time limits will get you!

Lastability 50%
P. There are loads of levels...
N. ...but you'll need supreme will-power to want to continue playing after the first three!

Overall 55%
A really annoying platform game which isn't much fun and certainly doesn't do the characters justice.