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Amid flags, badges, specially-made JCB ashtrays and a performing excavator outside, Acornsoft launched long-awaited JCB Digger last month.

The intention to write this game was announced almost before the launch of the BBC Micro itself. Unfortunately, the wait hasn't been worthwhile.

The game was conceived by JC Bamford, makers of excavators and the like. They approached Acornsoft, suggesting that a game be produced to act as publicity for both companies. One of the main conditions of the agreement was that the digger would not actually be destroyed during the game.

The image of the indestructable machine would not be helped much if a couple of meanies came and blew it up! So they needed a different way of introducing those meanies, and came up with the idea of them taking over the driving seat and driving the machine away.

The game puts you at the controls of a JCB Digger and your job is to clear the small island, on which you stand, of undergrowth and stony ground. Simply driving the vehicle over the area in question will clear the path.

To make things difficult, there are the meanies. If one touches you, then it'll forcibly evict you from the driver's cab and go off for a joyride.

Your defence is to push the aliens into the lake or sea which, as the game is set on an island, is not too hard to find. Alternatively, you can dig a hole and hope that a meany will eventually be short-sighted enough to walk into it.

Although the idea of the game is great, the program is far from perfect. The four-directional scrolling makes the screen flicker badly, which is particularly noticeable when moving up and down.

Control is via a joystick or the keyboard and response from the controls is sluggish and inaccurate. I also found that the digger frequently refused to pick anything up, even though I was driving straight across it which was very frustrating.

This is not the best game for the BBC, and I wouldn't recommend it, but if you're still intent on getting a copy, then your local dealer will be happy to oblige.

A real JCB digger costs £24,000, while the program is comparatively cheaper at £9.95 on cassette or on disk for an extra £1.55.