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He started life as a twinkle in the eye of a programmer, and now he's the talk of the console market, and even starring in his very own animated adventures! He is, of course, Earthworm Jim, and he's Game Gear bound with a mission to revolutionise platform gaming as we know it.

The scenario is the same as before - evil old Queen Slug-For-A-Butt kidnapping the lovely Princess and Jim being the only available worm character with a cybernetic warsuit. And what's more al of the levels appear to be in presence, so the real question is how does it play? Shall we have a look through the round window...

Jim first stormed onto the Megadrive last year, and thanks to amazing miniaturisation process has been shrunk down to the Game Gear.

Blast and jump your way through level after level of Evil Queen Slug-For-A-Butt's doing.

Jim's new cybernetic war suit comes fully equipped with its very own built-in plasma blaster to fend off the forces of darkness in the realm of the Butt Slug. Already loaded with a satisfactory 999 charges, the trusty sidearm can also be upgraded to fire off one ginormous blast and provides protection up to a point, that point being when the magazine runs dry. From this crucial moment and until Jim can find another cartridge, it's a case of using his head, quite literally, as a bull whip!

In the course of Jim's adventures, the majority of power-ups dangle temptingly from hard-to-reach places. And try as he may, Jim cannot reach them by normal methods alone. Instead, our wormular one must make use of his own body in a whipping action to clasp hold of the cunningly secreted silver hooks and swing to bonus bonanza.

There's no such thing as a free lunch, and the same applies for picking up another can of worms continue at the end of the Andy Asteroids 3D race with Psy-Crow. With all rockets at full speed ahead, Jim must collect a minimum number of plasma globes to qualify for another chance to save the beautiful Princess What's-Her-Name. To help him in the battle with the Crow, Jim can also collect nitro jetpacks and shields for added speed and protection.

I can't believe how good this conversion is. The Megadrive version of Earthworm Jim is one of my favourite games, and my hopes for the handheld game weren't high. However, Eurocom, the team behind the conversion, have crammed in most of the recognisable elements of the 16-bit game. Similarly, whilst it obviously suffers in the looks department, Game Gear Jim has all the playability of the original. Andy Asteroids, What The Heck, Psycrow... everything seems to be there in a new level format, and is every bit as fresh as the Megadrive game. Essentially for all Game Gear owners...

Prepare to be amazed! This is absolutely the best platform game I've ever seen on the Game Gear. The graphics are stupendous - fully capturing the animation, fluidity and colour of the original 16-bit version.

Even the levels remain pretty much intact bar a few bits and pieces that have been excluded due to memory restrictions. All in all, the team at Eurocom have achieved miracles in transforming one of the best platformers to ever hit the Megadrive onto a system that has been neglected recently. A "must buy" for all Game Gear owners.

Graphics 90%
P. Absolutely fantastic! The animation, colour and fluidity are all in evidence. A true achievement of on the Game Gear.

Animation 91%
P. If you witnessed the original, you won't be disappointed.
N. Slowdown on the odd occasion.

Music 84%
P. A valiant effort to re-create the sound of its 16-bit big brother.
N. But suffers from the Game Gear's weak sound chip.

Effects 83%
P. Best appreciated with a pair of headphones, surprisingly effective for the Game Gear.

Playability 89%
P. The 8-bit version captures almost all of the control of the original.

Lastability 90%
P. Even on Practice Mode, you'll have a tough time completing the entire game.

Overall 90%
It has to be said that this is one of the best playing platform games on the Game Gear. Fantastic.