My first reaction was "Not another Pac Man clone!". But after playing for a time I realised the game had much more. The plot isn't completely novel. You control Mr. Trick who looks like a Japanese Mickey Mouse. He has to collect coins, in a maze of streets, until he has enough for the parking meter. At intervals, meter maids appear (They look like martians!) and scuttle about trying to catch him. When all four maids have appeared, you are given a short period to reach the meter and pay up. In all, not quite Pac Man and certainly a lot more difficult.

Technically the game is excellent. Cunning use of psuedo sprites gives very slick and smooth movement. The use of exclusive ORing of screen contents allows objects to pass behind others and it's all rather tasty. In fact, I've only seen these sorts of effects once before. It's a pity other writers couldn't take as much effort. The sound effects aren't marvellous but in 3.5K what more can you expect? You can choose background colours, useful if you use a black and white TV and you want to maximise clarity.

A very good game which is only marred by its price. Knock a pound off and it would be just right. In this time of a shrinking number of releases for the Vic 20, this stands out from the rest.

A.W.