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Like all the best games, Hewson's Impossaball is simple to play but hard to master. It's one of those games that sort of sneaks up on you after a couple of attempts - you may not get very far at first, but as you come up against each new obstacle you can almost see how to get through, so you go back to the start for one more try and before you know it, you're hooked.

The basic idea behind the game is very simple but it's been excellently implemented by programmer John Phillips. You control the movements of a bouncing ball over a scrolling three-dimensional obstacle in an attempt to complete the course within a time limit, and at the same time as avoiding the deadly obstacles you also have to 'squash' a series of cylinders that are scattered over the course and which are, of course, surrounded by some of the more deadly traps and barriers.

There are eight courses in the game, each harder than the last, though even the first of these isn't exactly a pushover. At the start of each game the ball is just behind the starting line for each course and, since the timer doesn't start until you've crossed the line this means that you're given an opportunity to bounce the ball around a bit and get the hang of controlling its movements before you start the game properly - a nice idea, and one which allows you to get started quickly (unlike a lot of games recently, Impossaball doesn't force you to read a 50-page manual before you can get started).

As you cross the starting line you move from right to left across the screen and the chequered landscape of the course scrolls smoothly along to reveal each new set of obstacles.

On the first course, this consists of spike-topped poles which jut up from the ground or hang from the ceiling, and plasma bolts (which look like animated Ringos). The cylinders that have to be 'squashed' are column-like structures projecting from the floor and ceiling, and 'squashing' them simply involves bouncing onto them from above or below, forcing them to retract into the surface. On later courses though, there are all sorts of deadly traps (most of which are moving and require expert judgement and planning to get through).

Surprisingly for a game where you're controlling a moving object and racing against the clock, Impossaball doesn't require dazzling arcade-trained reflexes. Despite the time limit, there are places where you're better off taking things slowly and thinking your way through an obstacle rather than just barging through as fast as you can. But when the clock's ticking away and you need to hurtle down the home straight to the finishing line, control of the ball is very simple, and the way in which the pace of the game can vary makes it that much more addictive.

One of the really nice features of the game is that it presents you with each course and then just lets you get on with it. There isn't a single, fixed method of solving each obstacle and there's enough flexibility in the game to allow each player to develop his or her own style of playing. The only suggestion I can make that might improve the playability of the game is that after you've completed a course it might have been a good idea to give you a password that allows you to enter the next level whenever you want. As it is, you've got to go through all the course in a fixed order and even when you've got the first level sorted out you've still got to get onto the later ones.

The graphics and animation are about as good as I've seen on the Spectrum. All the objects are large and finely drawn, yet the animation is perfectly smooth. There's not the slightest flicker despite the fact that the whole screen display has to swing backwards and forwards very quickly in order to create the impression of bouncing movement. The chequered pattern on the landscape helps with the 3D perspective and also helps when it comes to judging distances and heights of jumps past obstacles, and, as the ball bounces along its shadow follows along, shrinking or growing as the height of the jumps varies.

There have been similar games released recently (Revolution and Action Reflex) but Impossaball beats them all in terms of graphics and playability, and it makes a nice change from shoot-'em-ups too.

A Monster Hit.