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Eeeek! They're horrible, they're vile and they're savagely suicidal! It's the Lemmings and it's you job to try and keep the furry little critters from throwing themselves off the tops of deep caverns and gibing the Samaritans a big headache.

So there you are. You have a whole regiment of rodents, running around like a does of {UNINTELLIGIBLE}. Only the Lemmings are outside of the cruel world and don't seem to have the sense they were born with. They're seemingly bent on destruction - the only thing between them and {UNINTELLIGIBLE} you, and the clever use of some of the Lemmings innate specialist skills (yes they {UNINTELLIGIBLE} guinea pig parachute of Tales of the Riverbank when I was a kid.) Luckily these skills include rodent bridge builders, tunnellers, diggers (who dig holes as opposed to tunnels), blockers - so called because they hold back their comrades whilst you build a bride over a ravine and parachutists who boldly float down into uncharted territories to prepare the land for all those who follow...

Sounds strange?

Well it is, but it is very involved. Each level has a unique terrain, across which you must subtly shepherd the rodents using the icons at the bottom of the screen. You select which type of {UNINTELLIGIBLE} you need and then {UNINTELLIGIBLE} back the main scree, choose a lemming, click on it and presto! The lemming will immediately take on the role that you have assigned. Perhaps building a bridge, digging a tunnel or even burrowing down through solid rock to {UNINTELLIGIBLE} the obstruction or ever spontaneously combusting!

{UNINTELLIGIBLE} have been negotiated, the remaining lemmings (yes, I'm afraid that not all of them ever seem to make it, sob), will trundle up the steps of the 'rats, I've made it portal' and as long as {UNINTELLIGIBLE} saved, then you'll be given the password for the level and you can load in the next.

Lemmings is one of the most original games to hit not only the Spectrum, but the whole computer games industry for some time and deserves to do well. It's a very difficult thing to be able to tell someone what the game is like because there's never really been anything like it, although I feel there will be a lot of games...

Label: Psygnosis Memory: 48K/128K Price: £10.00 Tape Reviewer: Garth Sumpter

Lemmings may be infuriatingly good at being crap, but this animal trait actually makes an excellent game. Lemmings is new, novel and nifty so don't be thrifty, be well nifty and slope of now and buy it.