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Have you guessed what this title really means? Yes, it is Artic's version of the well-known "Pac-Man" game. Pac-Man is so well known now, that in a few years time it will probably be thought of as part of computer heritage: ... In the beginning there were Space Invaders and Pac-Man, but the poor boys and girls couldn't afford 20p a game, so they invented the home computer... But we all know that is wrong... E.T. invented them; that's what he wanted to phone home about!

Back to the serious stuff now and, as the old saying goes, when you've seen one Pac-Man, you've seen 'em all. As far as Gobbleman is concerned, this view holds true. Visually, it is very similar to the original, with the same features such as pills, etc, but a slightly better maze, in that it is bigger. Overall, it is quite a pleasing display except for two annoying points: the words "Artic Computing" pulsating at you all the time you are playing certainly does become irritating, and also when the ghosts eat you, instead of a decent explosion or a picture of a Gobbled Man (geddit?), it simply runs through part of the character set at that point - surely they could not have been that short of memory?

The speed of the response is very good, and the tempo of the game has been well selected - it has to be when there is only one level of play! The ghosts are highly intelligent, and actually remember to run away from you when you have just eaten a pill. Unfortunately, they are the same speed as you, so they are rather difficult to catch up with at times, which seems rather illogical.

As far as being a Pac-Man copy it's good, so it's great for the Pac-Man enthusiast. But where it loses out is in that it is totally unadventurous. For example, the Acornsoft version for the BBC adds extra functions, and Gulpman from Campbell Systems Ltd actually expands on the game with variable speeds and tempo, and an enormous number of different mazes, plus a new laser feature. So, if you are looking for a near perfect copy of the original Pac-Man then Gobbleman is definitely worth considering, but for something more challenging I would recommend Gulpman.

Gobbleman is available at £4.95 from Artic Computing, 396 James Reckitt Avenue, Hull HU8 0JA.

Gulpman is available at £5.95 from Campbell Systems Ltd, 15 Rous Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex.