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On the atomic table, lead doesn't seem that far from gold, just three protons separate worthless pencil fodder from bank vault city. For centuries, people have tried all sorts of daffy methods to transmute lead into gold, but not all alchemists were witches and magicians. Some highly respected thinkers have pursued this fool's errand, apparently including Leonardo Da Vinci.

The movie opens with Da Vinci succeeding in this impossible task with the aid of a special crystal thingy, which comes in three parts. These are all but forgotten until now, when the evil millionaires Darwin and Minerva Mayflower discover that they were hidden in three valuable museum pieces stored around the world.

Being incredibly rich, you might think the Mayflowers wouldn't be that interested in the crystals, but Darwin is stark-raving bonkers and plans to produce so much gold the entire world economy is destroyed. But first how to get the crystals.

Step forward, Bruce Willis, AKA the Hudson Hawk, the world's best cat burglar and currently, ahem, in prison. He's just about to be released and has decided to straight until the Mayflowers use threats to force him back into business.

So that's the scene when the attractive loading screen fades away and C2N begins whirring again. The Hawk's first assignment is to steal a statue of a horse from a ten-storey, New York museum. Arriving on the roof, you have to get down through nine levels before grabbing the horse.

Once the first screen appears, you'll notice Bruce is a little short and squat but the background graphics are quite nice. As you explore, you'll find the graphics get even better. They're really very good indeed - I especially like the lift screen showing you moving between floors.

On the negative side this means the game's three rather large levels can't be contained in single loads, but are split into two or three relatively fast multi-loads. This isn't too much of a hassle - for example, in the maze you're prevented going back on yourself, so there's no reloading levels - unless you lose all your lives!

The Hawk is a 90's-style hero so, rather than a 9mm Uzi and grenade launcher, you're armed with an unlimited supply of tennis balls (!) to bounce at your enemies. Should a baddie get too close then there's always your fists. Mistime your blow and energy is lost, then a life. Rather oddly this info is shown on a separate screen, shown when you pause the game.

The first level is relatively simple to play, mainly consisting of making your way left/right to get to the lift and the next floor of the museum. There's a bit of platform leaping, and lots of villains to 'stun'. You also need to watch out for traps such as lasers which electrify Bruce in true comic book style. At level's end there's the first of three beautifully drawn level complete pics and a jaunty little tune - there's no in-game music.

Level Two is set in the Vatican, beginning in a large underground complex which you can easily get lost in. Hazards include spears (watch Bruce get gorily impaled!) and air ducts which suck you down and spit you out with energy lost and sometimes take you back a couple of screens. The leathers fluttering over the ducts when they're active is another nice graphical touch, while the backgrounds are again impressive with some very nice shading and variety. You also get some boxes and chairs to push around.

As for the enemies... did Special FX see some weird rough-cut movie with parachuting grannies, ballooning villains and various other weirdo baddies? The game is funnier and wilder than the film! To complete the Vatican level there's a neat little challenge where you need to be especially careful in true cat burglar style.

The final level takes place in Leonardo Da Vinci's castle where the Mayflowers have set up the alchemy machine - a particularly nicely done room at the level's end. Bruce has now turned against his evil employers and must get the crystal before the machine is turned on - however, like all the other levels there's no time limit. This is unsurprisingly the toughest level yet, requiring a fair bit of careful leaping up the castle battlement with men throwing heavy objects down at you. Plus there's a fair few kangaroos with an impressive uppercut...

Hudson Hawk bears a passing resemblance to Rick Dangerous, plus Mario Bros and any number of other platform games. It scores over Rick by some high quality graphics, while gameplay is generally simpler and less prone to traps - which is good or bad depending on your point of view. I found Hudson less irritating than Rick, to be honest, and while gameplay isn't all that varied, it is very enjoyable and extremely playable. What's more, despite being very close to the Nintendo version, it only costs about as third as much and will be available now. Recommended.

Special FX's lavish backdrops overshadow the movie sets, while there are some who would say the Bruce sprite out-acts Mr. Willis! Well, he's certainly got more character than Rick Dangerous and sports some good animation when he gets into different situations: getting thrown off the building by the bum-biting Rottweiler is a fun effect!

Gameplay initially seems a fairly conventional variation on the platform theme, but there's a good deal of extras which tweak the gameplay as you progress - the faster lasers when you trip the alarm, the sneaky trap at the end of the Vatican level and so on.

It's got that Special FX polish and a real console feel - it's a pity the game wasn't on cartridge, although most loads are big enough for multi-load to be on mildly irritating.

All in all, another Special FX hit - albeit a tad familiar in gameplay.

Presentation 77%
Nice loading screen, reasonable multi-load within levels, good level-complete pics and extra life at the end of each level.

Graphics 90%
Squat but amusing Bruce, while backgrounds are varied and often quite excellent. Villains such as kangaroos and parachuting grannies are hilarious.

Sound 73%
Okay intro and end-level tunes, but in-game sound is restricted to reasonable spot effects.

Hookability 82%
Instantly addictive, opening with a fun scene wherein a harmless-loking dog smartly drags you off the roof if you're not careful!

Lastability 84%
A big, if not overwhelmingly varied or original game. Playability will keep you coming back though.

Overall 82%
A radical improvement on the movie!