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Since Chuckie Egg's release, at the time that Manic Miner was topping the software charts it has been a firm contender for my favourite game. It has a very colourful and informative cassette insert (with instructions and a brief description of gameplay).

Once loaded via LOAD"", ideal for a newcomer to the intricacies of the Spectrum keywords and all those shifts, you are presented with a high score table and instructions on which keys to press moving along the bottom of screen a la Manic Miner. This tells you to press R for redefining the control keys, I for instructions and S to start.

If R is pressed, then you are presented with three options: define your own keys, use cursor keys or use another set of five keys. This helpful option allows use of all joysticks, other software houses please note.

If I is pressed, then the instructions are printed onto the screen explaining that you, playing the part of little 'o' farmer boy, must collect a dozen eggs on each screen and doing so will take you onto the next screen. This may sound easy but there are a number of killer chickens on the screen that will kill you if they touch you. Also there is a bonus that ticks away until it reaches zero, meaning death for you.

Pressing S takes you into the game; there are five keys used for left, right, up, down and jump. Two keys are pre-set SHIFT-A for abort which takes you back to the high score table and SHIFT-H for halt which temporarily suspends actions.

The only quibble I have is that, having selected a multi-player option, up to four people can play-action switching from one player to another on losing a life, the high score table is only updated at the very end of the game - all lives having been lost, meaning that players have to remember which player number they were.

The graphics are superb and the animation of your figure is very cartoonish. This if it had been brought out before Manic Miner could easily have been number 1, so it's trumps to A 'n F for a superb piece of software.