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It's not often that a rip-off is better than the original but it's generally agreed that that's the case with Manic Miner.

Originally it was programmed on the Atari and called Miner 2049er, and your job was to explore the numerous caverns of a disused mine.

The idea was then... well, er, copied for the Spectrum and sold by Bug Byte as Manic Miner, which has proved amazingly popular. This game has twenty screens as opposed to Miner 2049er's dozen, and, as well as some rather clever programming, there are some funny and original ideas in there.

Each screen is different, and features such hazards as Man-eating Toilets, Mutant Telephones, Bouncing Cheques and the like.

Now, after a few delays, the hit game is available for the Commodore 64. It's marketed by Software Projects, headed by its author Matthew Smith, who, I'm told, is really big in programming.

Recently a flood of Miner-type games has hit the software market. Owners of the C64 can now try their hand at China Miner, produced by Interceptor Micros.

This game has 30 screens, but unfortunately is not a patch on Manic Miner. The graphics lack the small detail of the Software Projects game. Instead of the occasional pun on other programmers' names and games, most of the screens here are in that vein.

There are Jumping Jeffs in there, bouncing VU meters (as in Revenge Of The Mutant Camels), Mutant Hover Mowers and also Spectrum puns like Loony Jetman. In fact, there's not much originality at all.

Manic Miner, by Software Projects, is almost identical to the Spectrum version. It even has the same sized screen as the Sinclair machine, with a large unused border surrounding it. Still, apart from the waste of space, the game is great.

Mutant Telephones are still there, and so is Eugene's Lair and all the other screens which went to make Manic Miner a 20-screen wonder for the humble Speccy, previously with nothing good to its name except The Hobbit.

So, if you're after an arcade game which you won't tire of for a long time, then Manic Miner is recommended. Control is easier and graphics are better. Although China Miner has more screens (and they're much more difficult), it's not such a playable game.