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Krakout is a re-working of one of the oldest forms of computer game - Breakout. An arrangement of blocks is presented on-screen, with a bat either on the left or right. A ball is launched into the playing area and bounces around the screen, destroying the blocks on contact. The player moves the bat up and down to stop the ball going off the side of the screen. When the screen is cleared, another pattern is brought into view.

Not all blocks explode as soon as the ball touches - some require two or three hits before disappearing, and others turn into silver squares which can be hit again to give the player an advantage. These advantages include missiles to fire at the blocks, a reduction of the ball's speed, an explosion destroying adjacent blocks, giving the bat the ability to catch the ball and fire it back, a double bat, a shield behind the bat, an extra life or an expanded bat.

Aliens wander around the playing area and explode on contact with the ball, deflecting it in a random direction. Some aliens are more deadly than others - one freezes the bat on contact and another actually eats the ball and spits it back in an unplayable form! But not all of the aliens are bad news - one turns into another ball when hit, while another destroys all blocks on screen.

A life is lost when the ball gets eaten or goes past the bat - when all lives are lost the game ends. An extra life is awarded every 10,000 points, or when a block marked with an 'X' is hit.

This is not the "Ultimate Challenge" as the cover would lead you to believe - it's a re-hash of a nine year old arcade game. Having said that, Krakout is still enjoyable, and has a sort of intangible, mindless - almost therapeutic quality.

The graphics are extremely pretty with superb use of colour. Soundwise the program is poor with an extremely nauseous 'jolly' tune and some poor sound effects. The worst thing about this program is its price tag - I'd think pretty hard before shelling out a tenner for it.

There's not enough variety to warrant such a high price.

Breakout is Breakout - improving the graphics and sound, changing the name, and attempting to improve the simplistic and dated gameplay by introducing new features makes very little difference.

I first played Breakout seven years ago - and I'm not in the slightest bit stimulated by its return. Especially when it costs so much - ten quid is a ludicrous price to pay for mutton dressed up as lamb. What bugs me most though, is that its arrival shows that it's got to the stage where people are starting to run out of ideas.

It's all very well attempting to inject new lie into an old theme, but when it's this aged and tired, why bother? I wouldn't. Having said that, it is worth considering Imagine's officially licensed version of glorified Breakout - Arkanoid. It's more playable and marginally less expensive.

Yet again Breakout rears its ancient, ugly, head - and this version is essentially very similar to the original. Okay, so there are a few extra options, and it's possible to alter the look of the game considerably, but the variety from screen to screen is still pretty limited.

Krakout is quite pretty to look at: there are a lot of nice effects and some of the aliens are very neat - but smart graphics alone don't make a poor game more playable.

Krakout is an uninspiring concept which is pleasing to play for a while, then simply becomes tedious.

Presentation 90%
Comprehensive option screen and adequate instructions.

Graphics 77%
Very pretty backdrops and sprites, but there's essentially only one screen of action.

Sound 56%
A very annoying tune plays throughout, although this can be changed to the rather feeble spot effects.

Hookability 71%
One of the simplest computer concepts - bashing the ball back is simple and enjoyable.

Lastability 52%
Although there's one hundred screens, it soon gets monotonous and predictable.

Value For Money 39%
A high price to pay for the sake of reminiscence.

Overall 55%
An unremarkable re-working of an outdated theme.