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Those Frenchies have done it again. Just when you thought Loriciel had given up the ghost and shuffled off its mortal CPC coil, along comes another stonking little game. The game tells the story of Melba, a typically cute little sprog who has to make his way across the treacherous regions of Builderland.

Builderland is weird. It is full of mysterious objects and bizarre villains. Melba, the hero, walks along in a straight line as the landscape scrolls from right to left. In his way are various obstacles. Melba isn't actually under your control at all - he simply trundles along of his own accord, picking up the odd bit of fruit as he goes.

Instead, you control a flashing cursor which can be moved anywhere on the bottom two-thirds of the screen. The objects lying around on the ground can be selected with this cursor and moved anywhere you like. The objects you find all have specific properties and uses. And all of the objects you see have to be used in some way or another, even if it's just to get them out of Melba's way.

The objects include bricks (of several varieties), bombs, springs and a plethora of other things. The bombs, once picked up, are immediately primed and will explore wherever they are placed. They can be used to clear a path through an immovable obstacle, or to kill any baddies you come across - bombs should be placed carefully, putting one in the wrong place could spell disaster for poor Melba, trapping, or even killing the fluffy little blighter.

As Melba walks, the screen scrolls slowly along. Once he passes over an object you have placed, then that object "dies" and can no longer be used.

This means you have to be extremely careful when and where you use objects. Golden bricks, for example, float in mid air and should be used to bridge chasms and firepits. The metal blocks, on the other hand, fall to the ground very quickly and careless piecement might just squash poor Melba.

Ramps are very useful - Melba can't even climb the smallest hill and has to be assisted by these little metal wedges. That's the key to the whole game - using the various objects dotted around the landscape to keep Melba going.

The point of all this walking around is to defeat the five monsters that inhabit Melba's land. These monsters, for some bizarre reason, can only be found in an as yet unbuilt house.

Melba's task is to find a pile of house bits and stick them together to build it. The bits are all found together and are assembled using the same method you use to place objects. When it's built, Melba walks through the door and faces the monster.

The monsters - obligingly enough - stand still and Melba has to drop things on them, "Boulderdash style", to kill them. In the monster section, you will find little flames. When these are picked up, Melba can shoot supporting bricks and cause rockfalls. The puzzle element involves getting all the rocks to fall where you want them to, at the same time as not wasting any of your bullets. When the monster's energy bar falls to zero he snuffs it - simple, huh?

Nope, it's not simple at all. Each inch, every millimeter of this game is a puzzle in itself and this has to be one of the trickiest Amstrad games ever.

What's more, the graphics are nice, cute and colourful, the sound decent enough and the presentation wonderful. The game is superb and presents a challenge that'll keep you going for months. Real hard!

Defeat the first monster

Builderland looks a bit slow and boring until you get into it - after that, it really is addictive. Be warned, though, it's also very hard. You'll be swearing it's impossible before long!

Graphics 81%
Neat, bright and well designed, they suit the game perfectly.

Sonics 80%
Classy spot effects and cutesy jingles.

Grab Factor 85%
Immediately appealing and very addictive indeed.

Staying Power 84%
So hard and so addictive you'll be at it for ages.

Overall 85%
Brilliant Lemmings variant with some really original features.