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Once upon a time in a country called Neverland, there ruled four magicians, each with a magic scroll from which he drew knowledge. Their power was good and everyone in Neverland was happy... until the evil sorcerer, Colo, killed the magicians and stole the scrolls, plunging the land into despair.

A good witch has been enlisted by the people of Neverland to enter Colo's burrow and attempt to recover the scrolls. She has four items to help protect herself - a Cape, a Cross, a Wand and an Hourglass. Each of these has a different function, enabling the witch to deal with the creatures inhabiting Colo's domain.

The story unfolds over the four levels of the burrow: Heaven, Forest, Caverns and Ice, represented on screen as horizontally scrolling corridors.

You control the witch as she wanders around the burrow in search of the scrolls, despatching Colo's henchman as you go. Chests are encountered along the way, and contain either bonus points, extra time, a balloon that enables the witch to float up to the previous level or magic weapons. These are carried by the witch and when a denizen approaches the appropriate weapon can be accessed by pressing the space bar.

The four scrolls are hidden in the burrow, and the witch must find the guardian Ant Eater on each level in order to be presented with the scroll. Only when all four scrolls have been collected can the witch confront Colo himself; killing the sorcerer, and freeing Neverland from his grasp.

This is quite a strange game both to look at and to play, but it's really good fun. The odd graphics and control method initially confuse, but as more proficiency is gained the full entertaining and addictive qualities can be appreciated.

The task is quite a difficult one, but Magic Madness deserves perseverence. The highly original high-score table is great idea, adding to the program's 'cute' appeal. An unusual product which deserves a lot of credit - try it out.

Magic Madness is an oddly appealing little game. The graphics and sound are nothing special - the main character moves around rather slowly and some of the sprites are a little bland, but it's quite playable and fairly addictive.

The action does get quite hectic at times, and although simple (and possibly overpriced for what it offers) Magic Madness may appeal to the arcade adventurer in need of some light entertainment.

Magic Madness isn't particularly outstanding - but it's not awful. It is, very simply, a reasonable platform game with a few nice graphics to 'pretty it up'.

The music adds to the atmosphere, and creates the mood to get you deeper into your exploration. There's not a great deal I can add to that - personally I wouldn't pay the asking price, but I'm quite happy to sit down and play it for a while.

Presentation 66%
Simple instructions, limited options, but a neat high-score table.

Graphics 62%
Small, adequately drawn and animated characters, with colourful backdrops.

Sound 69%
A good rendition of 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' plays as you do.

Hookability 72%
Easy to play, and it's possible to get quite far from the start.

Lastability 51%
Complete one level and the urge to return isn't so strong.

Value For Money 56%
A fair price for a reasonable game.

Overall 58%
A mildly playable game - destined for obscurity, perhaps?