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This is the latest in the long line of egg-related products from Codemasters. Obviously, the Yolkfolk are still present, doing business as usual - but this time, at a higher price. The Codies (in their infinite wisdom) have deemed it appropriate to release a Dizzy game for £9.99; cheaper than a lot of full-pricers, but not exactly budget.

So, how can they justify the price increase? Most of the Dizzy games have been high-quality for budget, but a £9.99 title seems a tad questionable. Dizzy's reputation has been growing steadily over the years, with games such as Treasure Island Dizzy. Magicland Dizzy and Spellbound Dizzy both improving on the last, but all using a similar sort of game design with graphics tailored to fit the plot.

Crystal Kingdom revolves around Dizzy's quest to retrieve Zeffar's Crystal Chalice, Crown and Sword, these being the only items capable of halting the thaw threatening the future of the Crystal Kingdom. But who wants to hear about a plot? Everyone buys Dizzy games for the puzzles and tricky platform jumping.

Crystal Kingdom doesn't disappoint in this respect. During the gap between this game and the last, Diz has been in the gym. improving his (slightly limited) athletic ability so he's now capable of jumping variable heights, not to mention changing direction in mid air. This allows the screen design to be a little more involving than usual, with more complicated jumps giving scope for better screen design, an opportunity that's been utilised admirably.

Another departure from existing adventures is the games division into four levels, each with their own graphical style: the Yolkfolk village. Captain Blackheart's pirate ship, a desert island, and the Crystal Kingdom itself.

When one section's completed, a password is given allowing the player to restart at the beginning of the next level after dying. This is very good news for people (like me) who hate returning to the start of a game when killed, having nearly completed it. Considering the number of screens included in Crystal Kingdom (over 100), you can see the undeniable logic of this - a pat on the back for the programmers.

The question raised earlier was whether or not this seventh Dizzy adventure warranted a price tag six pounds higher than usual. If you can't get enough of this type of arcade platformer, Crystal Kingdom's a very worthwhile purchase. The graphics are clear and colourful, the puzzles rely on logic rather than endless, laborious guesswork, and the interaction with other characters adds atmosphere. I love it. By far the best Eggy game yet - and the largest and most challenging - Crystal Kingdom easily makes up for the slightly disappointing Prince Of The Yolkfolk.

This is a welcome change from some of those naff, ported-across Spectrum conversions Dizzy's previously starred in. No flickery, monochromatic graphics here: the Crystal Kingdom is a colourful place indeed. And big too: four mammoth levels offer plenty of exploration, and heaps of puzzles to solve.

Not to mention great graphical variety - I love Level 2's giant pirate ship. Having said that, there are no real gameplay innovations over previous Dizzy outings (even Level 3's scuba diving's been seen before in Treasure Island). This wouldn't normally bother me - Dizzy games are always incredibly playable - but I was expecting something a bit more "special", considering the huge price hike. I mean, you can grab a five-game Codies compilation for the same amount.

Even so, it's the best Dizzy game yet, and compares favourably with other full-price releases.

Presentation 95%
Four levels in a single load, plus passwords

Graphics 83%
Nice and colourful, with good variety in levels

Sound 82%
'Big score' (Get that Richard!) accompanies the action

Hookability 88%
Familiar Dizzy action is immediately playable

Playability 89%
Four large levels packed with platforms and puzzles

Overall 89%