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Over in Germany, Maya the Bee and her friends is a top-rated TV show, and judging by the quality of this game, she may well end up buzzing her way over to the UK soon! Initial looks are highly deceptive, because at first glance Maya appears too fiddly and complicated to get the hang of. But once the control system has been mastered, there is an exciting and addictive arcade puzzle game, dying to drain your brain cells... and batteries!

The plot of the game tells the story of how some of Maya's friends have been bee-napped by an assorted band of creepy-crawlies. It's up to this cunning bee and her two best buds, Willie and Flip, to rescue their friends and foil the dastardly plans of the bogus bugs.

You can control all three of the characters, one at a time and they each have different attributes. For instance, Maya can lob Willie around the level and also flick switches - essential for rescuing the trapped friends. Willie is multi-skilled, as he can fly over thorns, can be stood on (great for reaching a higher level), used as a ride and can also swim. Whilst Flip can jump higher and, most importantly of all, also be used as a trampoline - the other characters literally bounce up off of his head. Combining the skills of each of the character is essential is essential if you are to successfully rescue your insect buds and keep the bad guys away from your honey stash.

It takes a while to get the hang of Maya The Bee, but once you get used to the idea of flicking back and forth between the characters it doesn't take long before you're buzzing around like nobody's buzziness (sorry!).

Maya The Bee is dual format, meaning that it can be played on all black and white Game Boys as well as the new spangly Color format. The truth be told, it does look and feel a lot better in colour, but either way, Maya The Bee is a sheer bee-light to play!

Small and sweet is probably the best way to describe Maya The Bee. The graphics are really tiny, you have to strain to see them on the Game Boy screen, but their size is also their charm.

To be honest, the game does take some time to get into. All the changing from one character to another and getting them to do different things is a mite mind boggling until you've been playing for quite a while.

When you do get things going through, there's a lot of fun to be had with the game. Give it a try!

Graphics 80%
Tiny, but cute, sprites.

Sound 80%
Bizzy, buzzy sound effects.

Playability 100%
Unique gameplay with three bugs!

Lastability 100%
The puzzles will keep you frowning.

Overall 92%
A real bee-light to play - try it now!