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Klax is a state of mind, not a just game. Three blocks of the same colour in a line constitute a Klax. A vertical, horizontal or even diagonal line is fine - and as long as they are all the same colour you're on to a winner. It's getting a Klax that's the problem.

A table stretches out before you. At the near end is small paddle that can catch, and hold, up to five tiles at a lime. A stab of the fire button sends the top tile falling into the drop zone. It's here that Klax's are made. So what you drop where requires thought, planning and good old natural talent!

Down the table roll different coloured tiles, end over end, giving you oodles of time to decide where each one should - if things work out - fall for max Klax potential. No problem when they roll on one by one, but on later levels they hurtle down in packs. Then, it's time to play on instinct and not intelligence.

As the levels progress the number of different colours increases, as does their speed. There are also certain tasks to complete before you clear each screen or warp. It could be creating ten Klax's or scoring 10,000 points. Others tasks are about as welcome as a hole in the head. 13 diagonals? Come on Domark, be serious!

Each different style of Klax carries a different points value. Three in a stack is simplicity itself and scores virtually no points. A horizontal line helps any score sheet gain respectability, while a diagonal is pointsville personified. Cocky Klaxxers can go for even bigger scores by working for the infamous 'Big X' or Klax's that lead to each other. As a Klax is scored, the tiles disappear and the ones above fall into their place, hopefully creating yet more lines.

This dry mechanical stuff doesn't sum up the full frantic fun of Klax. It's pure panic, poured onto disk. At the outset you choose the starting level, but, this has little bearing on the length of the game. If you choose the easier levels you get fewer tile colours and fewer drops (when you fail to catch it on the bat), higher levels have more hues to juggle, more drops, but vastly harder targets.

Level Six, for example, demands 10 Klax's, which should be a piece of cake for any experienced player, surely? No chance! A few tiles in, the urge to be flash overides common sense and you find a five-tile diagonal appearing (this scores mega points and counts as three Klax's). Then it's sweaty palms time as billions of colours roll on - except the one you want of course! Worse still, you've got to find somewhere else to stack the others! It's a huge mental juggling challenge, trying to organise the tiles into some semblance of order. In desperation, you can hurl the tiles back up the table. This averts the crisis for three or four seconds, and as an ex-PM used to say "four seconds is a long time in Klax" - well, he may never have said that, exactly, but it's the same idea.

Klax is simple in concept and design - simple, not basic - looks good, drawn in big bold colours. Initially the view creates some confusion, but experience easily erodes this. Unfortunately, though, the game's unplayable in green. Based on colour it's unfeasible to even try and make to work in mono.

Domark has tried to get the most out your CPC, however, with slightly different 64K and 128k code. On 6128s the backgrounds change with the levels, on the 464 they stay the same. It makes no difference to the game itself, but is still a pleasant surprise.

Klax has the opportunity to take the mantle of the CPC shape game. Tetris, the only other game in the same league, was bodged on the CPC, leaving the field clear for Domark's lateral thinking masterpiece.

The magic of the game, is that it warps minds! You have to watch the tiles roll towards you and decide where they'll go, juggle the pieces on the paddle, try to catch those falling tiles, all while dropping the ones you've already got to score Klax's.

Terminal mindbending is the outcome, as is complete and total addiction. If you ever manage to score a Klax, your life will never be the same again, the game quickly becomes an obsession.

It's you against the computer and you don't really stand a chance - but you've still got to give it one more go!

The gameplay and even the display looks shallow and fussy at first. It just goes to show you should never judge by appearances - Klax is truly an excellent game.

200,000 points

Unplayable, alas.

Graphics 77%
P. Simply excellent.
N. Impossible in green!

Sonics 45%
P. Just 'thud' effects for falling tiles.
N. Wildly annoying music.

Grab Factor 91%
P. Warning, you *will* get hooked!
P. Simply irresistible.

Staying Power 90%
P. Playing for hi-scores is fun...
P. ...and it lasts forever!

Overall 89%
P. Awesome, really rather awesome!