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The Simpsons, eh? Considering that the TV show is only available to those viewers lucky (?) enough to possess a Sky receiver, The Simpsons have managed to wheedle their way into the nation's consciousness remarkably quickly. And as Simpson Mania continues to grow unabated, this re-release couldn't be more timely. Converted from an original console game (ugh!) it's basically a platform adventure based around everyone's favourite underachiever, Bart.

The ludicrous story involves a bunch of smelly space aliens and their quest to take over the planet. Only Bart is aware of this cunning plan and so he takes it upon himself to save the planet and generally become the hero. Why he can be bothered with all this when he never even does his homework is not explained so it's probably best if we don't ponder upon this point for too long and move swiftly to the basic gameplay and all that sort of stuff.

As Bart, the player is guided through a series of platform-strewn levels, with a set task to achieve on each before progress to the next is allowed. On the first level, for instance, Bart has to change the colour of any purple objects (this is exactly the type of thing which the Space Mutants need to take control of the planet, you see) and this can be achieved by covering them up, re-spraying them or all manner of other tricks which become apparent during the game.

Although initially doing a damn good impersonation of a creaky old 8-bit game, subtleties are soon revealed and little touches (like the 'They Live'-type-X-ray specs used to detect disguised aliens) make the game slightly more involving to play. As you can see, the graphics aren't exactly award-winning by any means but they do bear a good resemblance to all the gang and the bright, bold visuals give the game a 'cheery' feel. The gameplay itself is a touch linear for my liking, not really offering anything new or original enough to take people by surprise but just plodding along, content to remain fairly average.

Overall the game isn't really substantial enough to warrant its original price tag, but at its new budget price The Simpsons is a worthy purchase if you're a fan of the cartoon family or fancy a no-frills, mildly-entertaining platform romp.