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The squeaky-clean (and squeaky-voiced) rodent of celluloid stardom is mixed up in a thoroughly magical adventure, which all began when the wicked witches of the north, south, east and west stole sorcerer Merlin's magic wand. The toadying old hags have handed the wand over to the King of the Ogres, who has fragmented it and placed each of the four pieces in their care.

The witches have now moved into the penthouse suites in the four lofty towers of Disney Castle and are preparing to use the wand's power to rule Disneyland. They have also stolen some of Merlin's magic water which they are using to create ghosts, ogres and skeletons to populate and defend the castle from do-gooding, rodent movie stars like Mickey.

Only one bottle of water remains, and Merlin has given it to Mickey for use as ammunition in an enchanted water pistol which exorcises ghosts. Not all the evils inhabiting the towers will succumb to a squirt, but those that don't are usually easy to despatch with a wallop from Mickey's alternative weapon - the rubber mallet. If the ghosts get to Mickey first, though, they steal some of his precious water, and when all the water is gone, his adventure is over.

Thumping these malevolent manifestations frequently produces a vial of liquid which, as well as replenishing the water supply, endows Mickey with a temporary special ability such as extra speed or a monster shield. Alternatively, a whacked ghost may leave a key to one of the doors which lead off certain levels of the tower. Behind these doors are four sub-games which, if completed successfully, reward Mickey with the means to nail shut that door, and stop monsters coming through it.

In the Puzzle Maze, Mickey negotiates a 16-screen ogre-filled labyrinth, searching for the wood, nails and hammer which will seal the exit. The Bubble Machine has him standing on a moving platform and throwing hammers at bubbles of magic water which emerge from a pipe at the bottom of the screen. The Pump Room game pits Mickey against a monster who is trying to burst a pipe full of magic water, drops of which turn into small, troublesome monsters when they hit the ground. Mickey has to plug up the holes in the pipe with corks; when there are no more leaks, he can clobber the beast. The last sub-game takes place in a room with four dripping taps, all of which must be turned off. Mickey travels about on moving platforms, and must avoid a roaming ghost who stuns on contact.

When Mickey has boarded up all the doors in the tower, he gains a fragment of wand and moves on to the next, taller tower. When all four pieces have been collected, Mickey must confront the Ogre King. Armed with nothing but a water pistol, it isn't going to be easy!

Cutesy Mickey with his silly ace has translated well into machine code - his sprite bears a strong resemblance to his silver-screen self. The enchanted Disney Castle is populated by an odd bunch of ghastly characters, but they're all likable - despite their energy-sapping qualities!

The puzzle maze is a simplified variation of Gauntlet, but interesting nonetheless, as are the other classic coin-op inspired sub-games. The only real disappointment is the sound - words cannot describe how grating the music is - you'll be reaching for the volume control is seconds!

By contrast, the sound effects are good, including a convincing 'pop' when a soap bubble bursts. As harmless dodge and shoot fun, Mickey Mouse fulfils his licence nicely.

I honestly thought Gremlin has wasted their money with such an inane product as Mickey Mouse. Then I saw the Spectrum version get a Crash Smash and, now I've played the Commodore conversion, I'm pleasantly surprised.

A very well-drawn, almost cartoon-quality, loading pictre is just a taster of the graphics in the game itself. Both backgrounds and sprites are of high standard, and the ghosts, ogres and Hedleys have a humorous character of their own. The four sub-games within the central tower theme add depth to the gameplay - in fact, far from being a children's game, Mickey Mouse is a challenge to any player. The awful droning rendition of The Sorceror's Apprentice is enough to make you feel ill, but with the jolly sound effects instead, Mickey Mouse is a fun alternative to bombing and blasting.

Hardened gamers, don't let the Mickey Mouse title and the cutesy graphics put you off this game. During my first half hour I had easily beaten the first of the four towers and was ready to say that this was probably only suitable for younger players.

After taking on the second tower, doubts began to creep in, as the bubbles in the bubble rooms got faster, more ogres suddenly appeared and my water level began to drop a little more quickly!

The game's major downfall is that there is so little variation - just squirt or mallet the monsters until a key appears, then enter one of four (Phew, four!) sub-games.

Mickey Mouse is a very nice game, but if you're thinking of shelling out for it, try to take a look first.

Presentation 66%
Attractive title screen and music/FX option. Minimal use of keyboard does not detract from gameplay.

Graphics 71%
Smart, smooth and colourful sprites complement nicely drawn backdrops, although they're a bit bland sometimes...

Sound 52%
Discordant rendition of the Sorcerer's Apprentice theme from Fantasia, but sound effects are much better.

Hookability 71%
Smart graphics and unusual action make it easy to get well into the game.

Lastability 66%
Just too little variety over only four levels makes play ultimately unrewarding.

Overall 72%
An interesting arcade adventure which should provide reasonable entertainment for all ages.