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US Gold is continuing its policy of supporting the BBC Micro with this latest release, converted from the original Atari/Commodore format, by Micro Power - one of the oldest BBC games software houses. This follows on from the success of Beach Head for the Electron and BBC which was released last year.

Bounty Bob Strikes Back is the sequel to the highly popular Miner 2049er, considered by many to be the first "ladders and platforms" game (it came out years before Manic Miner) and certainly enjoyed by thousands. Bounty Bob Strikes Back is an altogether more difficult game. And a game that even hardened L&P fanatics would find difficult to complete.

The setting is an old abandoned uranium mine - previously owned by 'Nuclear Ned'. The game format takes on the standard 'one screen to another screen to another screen' format and running over the walkways as the task to complete.

No game is ever that easy though; monsters (mutated furry creatures) wander about and only retrieving objects that are scattered around the mine can allow you to destroy them.

Other objects in the mine are matter transporters (remember it is the year 2049), lifts of various kinds, suction tubes that can whizz you from section to section, and a hoist that can move you about the screen. Plus the usual assortment of ladders, slides and platforms.

Points are scored on a time remaining basis, with bonuses for picking up extra equipment on the way. You can also collect 'super energy food bars' (sounds like an American food commercial!), these speed up little Bob for a short while.

Bounty Bob Strikes Back is a delightful L&P game that would certainly please most advocates of this type of game. Whether it has a wider market into the more discerning games player, though, is questionable. But, on the Beeb, almost anything is appreciated due to the dearth of games for it compared to the amply supported other machines.

US Gold say that they have more plans for BBC conversions, also to be done by Micro Power. Let's hope that they are as good as well.