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Invite Bob Holness into your home as Domark bring the cult teenage quiz to your C64... for a second time.

Blockbusters is a word game played by two human players or a human and computer player, where each contestant attempts to connect opposite sides of a grid of hexagons bearing letters.

Players select a letter and are asked a general knowledge question, the answer to which begins with the chosen letter. Correct answers are rewarded with that hexagon being captured and used as a link in the successful contestant's chain. The winner of each game is the first contestant to link his two sides of the board, and the winner of two games, out of three takes part in the Gold Run.

Here, the single letters are replaced by acronyms of phrases or sayings which are identified to gain hexagons. Successfully connecting opposite sites of the grid is rewarded by being nominated a Blockbusters champion.

As well as being a possible contestant, the computer takes the role of the quiz-master, Bob Holness and selects and asks questions, checks the players' typed answers and even animates a picture of Bob's face in the corner of the screen!

A solo player competes against the clock, while two-player mode supports separate 'buzzers' for each contestant, giving them the chance to beat their opponent to the answer, or even interrupt Bob if the question is anticipated.

After a brief appearance some time ago, a revamped version of Blockbusters is now available. I'm quite keen on quizzes, and the competitive edge created by the button-pressing is quite addictive.

There are some annoying delays as the program selects each question, and this is especially aggravating during a Gold Run (which, incidentally, helps you to brush up on your speed typing).

My only reservation about Blockbusters (as with most quiz games) is the limited number of questions: a few plays can eat up a good chunk of the questions, and once you're familiar with most of them, the game's appeal dies fairly swiftly.

I approached Blockbusters with some trepidation, because although I like quiz games, very few of them have a sufficiently versatile answer-checking routine: you type in an answer merely to find that the computer only accepts one version of the required response; an effectively correct answer is deemed incorrect.

Although the attempt made by Blockbusters to overcome this problem isn't totally successful, I still enjoyed the time I spent playing it, probably because of the humour generated by the wobbling Holness head and the feeling that I was taking part in a very tongue-in-cheek version of the programme.

The one-player game isn't so good though, and if I was really desperate to play Blockbusters with a friend it would probably be cheaper and just as much fun to buy some of the Blockbuster quiz books.

Quiz games aren't widespread on the C64, but those that do exist are most usefully translated than this: Powerplay is a particularly good example of how the basic genre can be innovatively converted.

Blockbusters is all right, but there isn't that much to it, apart from the multitude of questions. The gameplay sports some faults however: the computer opponent attempts some ridiculous routes across the board, and the Gold Run is a bit silly because the clock doesn't stop as you type the answer: slow typists beware!

The only reward on offer is the sense of satisfaction gained, and this soon becomes too familiar to warrant prolonged play. Nonetheless, the two-player mode saves it from disgrace and provides plenty of long-term entertainment.

Presentation 78%
Good screen layout and useful options, but a slightly flawed answer check.

Graphics 56%
Comical Bob Holness graphic with functional board display.

Sound 41%
Buzzers and a reasonable rendition of the between-rounds jingle.

Hookability 71%
Interesting to play and easy enough to get into.

Lastability 60%
Hundreds of questions, but they're repeated during the early games.

Overall 62%
An above-average quiz game which follows the programme closely enough to appeal to its fans. It's probably best used as a family game.