Hercules is the pick of the recent releases from Alpha Omega (the budget software arm of CRL).

The game is an infuriating platform game based on the twelve labours of Hercules.

You play the great man himself battling with the labours that have been translated into screens.

This is no ordinary platform game. Think that and you're in for a few nasty shocks. The first one is that you can't hang around to play your next leap with precision accuracy as the platform you're standing on is likely to burst into flames! Solve that one and then you have to deal with platforms that disappear when you stand on them, ones you can't see but suddenly break your fall, ropes that shorten just as you try and grab them as well as killer birds, ugly critters and fireballs!

The object of the game is quite simple and that is to reach a door which leads you onto the next screen in that particular labour. Finish that and you're on to the next and so on until you complete the labour. Then there are only another eleven labours to go.

The labours appear randomly which means that you can fail at all of them at the same time rather than getting stuck on just one.

The scoring is a little harsh as you don't get a single point until you complete a screen but, since some screens are easier than others, you'll go back for more and more.

My favourite screen is one with only one small platform, a short rope and a lot of empty space. Stand around too long and you get fried. The only thing you can do is take a leap into oblivion and hope something soft breaks your fall.

Hercules was originally released as a full-priced game by Interdisc but it was one that got away as its sales didn't do justice to the quality and sheer addictiveness of the game. Let's hope it does a lot better with its relaunch at a price that makes it exceptional value for money.