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Well, I dunno. What has Mikro Gen been doing other than redesigning its logo?

Frostbite is part of the answer but it's hardly a mammoth (snow joke, geddit?) offering.

I don't know how many games this reminds me of, Manic Miner for one, Starstrike for another, Underwurlde (I could go on). It's getting through the caverns time again, judging the timing to get you past endless obstacles that drip, bounce or otherwise travel into you. You can fire at some of them, others need specific weapons scattered around. There is a lot of jumping in this game, both unassisted and with the aid of various bounce platforms strategically placed around the caverns.

You are a curious object that looks and moves just like a slinky (remember them?) - a sort of spring that tumbles over and over and thereby moves. The way you move is unusual and consequently some of the strategies involved in the game are a little different. The combination of jumping and moving, for example, takes a while to work out.

The object is to get out, simple, really. Useful objects include various coloured sweets that control things like jump height and speed and what look like air-to-air missiles. I'm all for high tech violence personally.

Where does that title come from? Not a clue. Although clearly the caverns are supposed to look icy there is no other arctic, polar, or otherwise nippy feature in the game. Oh well.

The sprites are big. That's good but, though some care has been taken with attributes, Mikro-Gen remains true to its Wally traditions and objects change colour with gleeful abandon.

As a game it looks OK. There are some impressive monsters in some of the caves (although mostly the big ones don't do anything at all) and the problems (timing the jumps) are difficult but not quite impossible which I guess is about right.

Nothing special. There isn't any astounding programming or stunningly original ideas to be found - but fun to play anyway.

Label: Mikro Gen Author: In-house Price: £9.95 Joystick: various Memory: 48K/128K Reviewer: Graham Taylor

****

Moderately entertaining 'negotiate the caverns' game with some original features. Old ideas, but neatly done.