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This is an intriguing little game which combines several different traditional arcade-type ideas into something new. At the start of the game. the screen is divided into a large rectangle, composed of squares. Cuthbert, an animation figure in what looks like a stetson hat, starts at the middle-bottom square and, to the accompaniment of a tuneful jingle, starts shinning up the vertical lines, and wandering along the horizontals.

The scenario is as follows: Cuthbert is responsible for lighting up the lunar landing pad for the arrival of the federal chief's state visit. In this age of high technology, he lights up the pad one square at a time, by walking all the way round it.

To complete a square, it is not necessary for Cuthbert to methodically go up, across, down and round each line in succession. He can wander one side of one square and down the vertical of another quite as he pleases. And he doesn't have to walk. If you want, Cuthbert can be made to jump along all the horizontals in a series of hops by repeatedly pressing the fire button.

There is one drawback to hopping though. Whereas Cuthbert won't walk off the edge of the rectangle, he can be made to leap off the edge. This jump is fatal and sends Cuthbert sliding down the edge of the screen to his death.

If that was all there was to it, Cuthbert Goes Walkabout would be a distinctly forgettable game. The interest comes in the shape of a set of Moronians, blob-like creatures who pursue Cuthbert up and down the verticles and horizontals. When they catch up with him, they explode!

Moronians hunt rather blindly in the early start of the game and can be avoided for the most part. If you find yourself cornered, you can always attempt to leap Cuthbert over them. This works - unless the Moronian is about to change direction (from left to right, or right to left), which is not exactly a predictable event.

I had a little difficulty in controlling Cuthbert when it came to the fiddly bits, such as getting him to stop climbing up a vertical and to switch instead of going horizontal. The points of intersection demand precise control.

Every time you manage to complete a square, it lights up. The sides of uncompleted squares that Cuthbert has travelled over turn from black to brown, so it is easy to keep a track of what still needs walking over.

Oh yes, one more thing, the Moronians become smarter in their hunting for Cuthbert the longer you take to complete your lighting up of the lunar pad. Late in each screen, a 'Chief Moronian' appears. He seems to be able to bend the rules governing Moronian behaviour, and does for Cuthbert rather quickly.

The game has a Hall of Fame which allows you to enter initials after the ten best scores.