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Jet Set Willy was a classic game on the Spectrum about two years ago and has been converted to just about every micro apart from the Cray I.

Now comes a follow up or, more accurately, an expansion on the original game. Instead of the sixty odd rooms there are now about a hundred, and they're all of the same ilk as the first JSW.

The idea of the game (for all you first-time readers) is to collect all the objects left behind by the guests after a riotous party before Maria will let you go to bed. There's over a hundred of these flashing objects ranging from wine glasses and bottles to tap tops. Once these are all collected, you can return to the master bedroom and have a good, long sleep.

The mansion itself is quite an oddity. There's loads of really strange rooms filled with animated nasties, robots and thingies. The original cast of rooms and characters are intact in the new version but the new rooms don't contain anything new in respect of the original at all and merely expand on the predecessor.

There's a space shuttle which takes you to the top part of the building and the sewers are several floors up from the basement.

Also, remember the myth that was circulated about a boat coming up to the beach and taking you to an island in JSW... Well, that has now been added to this game - art imitates the hoax.

Jet Set Willy was certainly a cult on the Spectrum, hardly as wonderful on the C64, perhaps because it still looked so much like a Spectrum game graphically. Well, JSW II suffers the same problem - still looks like a Spectrum game. However, that seems to be the least of its problems really.

Quite how anyone could have thought that adding some extra rooms to an old game and effectively re-releasing it (a sort of "Close Encounters Special Edition") would thrill anyone, let alone force them to part with £8.95, I don't know. Trouble is that the new rooms actually lack any of the flair of Matthew Smith's original design, at best they're no improvement. In terms of lasting appeal, etc, well, the game's no different to the original, only longer.

Oh God! Software Projects have the cheek to release a follow-up that's not even an original one at that! Crummy 'sprites' which would shame a Speccy, and sound which is as horrible as the game itself. The point of the game is ruined - you only need to collect a few objects before falling asleep.

Apart from the new rooms, there's nothing special about this game, it's the same old slow trogging about the rooms and collecting the objects. I thought that perhaps they might have made more action with interactive objects, but no, it's still the same old boring left/right/jump syndrome. When this is compared with the more modern aardvarks like Cauldron and Strangeloop it just pales into insignificance.

At the moment Software Projects are releasing some pathetic and disappointing pieces of software and unless they wise up they could start to flounder. Come on, you guys! Let's see something actually amazing for once.

Some follow-up this turned out to be! Software Projects could have made up for the appalling JSW on the C64 by releasing at least a semi-decent game. But no!

The graphics are the same as the original (i.e. bad). The sound is the same as the original i.e. annoying). The game is the same as the original (i.e. a poor, boring and unoriginal platform game). No doubt this will be a big seller, but it certainly doesn't deserve to be. Best value for money in the package is the psychedelic wallpaper that comes free with each game.

Presentation 47%
Nothing special, plus ludicrously long protection code sheet.

Graphics 24%
Very poor, and no improvements over original unless you think quantity makes up for quality.

Sound 42%
Screechy 'tune' (!) for masochists.

Hookability 44%
Just interesting to see what's new...

Lastability 22%
...and what's new ain't that interesting!

Value For Money 25%
Seems rather a lot for 40-ish new rooms.

Overall 34%
First sequel to actually include the original; perhaps you ought to send in your old JSW and get a refund against the new one...