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One of the very few coin-op conversions to be developed side-by-side with the arcade original, Klax is a game of tile flipping (or is that flipping tiles?). That sounds a bit weird, doesn't it? Well, it's actually very straightforward - theoretically. The playing area consists of a five-column conveyor belt, down which travel tiles of various colour.

The basic idea is to pick up the tiles with your paddle when they reach the end of the table and flip them into the container at the foot of the screen.

When three or more tiles of the same colour are placed in a line - horizontally, vertically or diagonally - they disappear. And this is how you survive, because if the container becomes completely full of tiles, the game ends. Also, you can only let up to three tiles drop off the conveyor belt without picking them up - a fourth miss results in that depressing "game over" message.

Later levels get tougher and tougher, with more and more tiles and the computer asking you to create diagonal lines, or a series of four and five coloured tiles in order to escape that particular level, or even a big cross to access a secret warp!

It's happened! At last, there's a game which matches Tetris for simplicity, playability and addictiveness. I and everyone else in the office who has pitted their wits and reflexes against this superlative creation unashamedly place it high up in the C&VG chart of all-time greats.

Like Tetris, what at first looks quite unimaginative and, dare I say it, dull, soon becomes so playable your electricity bill will take up three pages if someone doesn't drag you, kicking and screaming, from the computer.

And the most amazing thing is that it's a coin-op conversion! I can picture arcade owners up and down the country with enormous grins on their faces a few weeks after installing a couple of Klax machines!

There's very little else to say really, and certainly nothing to criticise about Klax. No killing, no end of level monsters, no power-ups, and no damsels to rescue. Just good, solid, fast-moving mega-addictive gameplay which the whole family will love, from Grandma to the goldfish!