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Bono the dragon and his chum Fozzy live in a castle, and earn a crust by selling soap to monsters who bathe in the sea nearby.

Each of the castle's chambers is displayed from an overhead viewpoint and scrolls around as Bono tunnels from room to room. Soap is manufactured by collecting old skeleton bones which litter the castle and boiling them up in one of the many cauldrons.

Five skeletons are needed to produce a single bar of soap, which is then taken to a waiting monster, shown undertaking his ablutions. When five monsters are clean, Bono and his buddy enter the next chamber.

There are many hazards to avoid, including skeleton-eating spiders, and trapdoors - which are fatal to the touch - and glooks, which block Bono's path.

Superior have incorporated a password system which allows access to later chambers without having to replay previous levels.

It seems that Superior Software's bread and butter products are all Boulder Dash lookalikes. Bone Cruncher is set apart by the amusing speech, well-defined graphics and interesting title tune, but still the old format manages to shine through.

Unlike Boulder Dash, Bone Cruncher lacks the necessary frenetic elements, leaving the game unexciting. If you're a fan of the classic arcade-puzzle format, this is better than most. For me though, the magic is starting to fade.

I could begin by remarking on the complete lack of original thought generated by Superior Software - but it's too late for that.

Bone Cruncher is simply a competent Repton/Boulder Dash variant with one or two neat touches. The puzzles are entertaining and the game is very well presented, excepting the grotty scrolling.

It's not a bad game, but I bet you've already got one just like this in your collection...

Presentation 88%
Good documentation and excellent in-game presentation.

Graphics 53%
Plain objects and backdrops, with humorous but limited animation on the main character.

Sound 61%
Initial chorus of sampled speech and monster screams, followed by a repetitive Michael Winterberg ditty.

Hookability 64%
The games aim is reasonably simple, and the first few problems are quite challenging.

Lastability 49%
There are 22 moderately entertaining chambers to negotiate, although you may become bored long before the last.

Overall 56%
A polished, but merely average addition to an already jaded format.