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Computer games do seem to run in cycles - now it's the turn of the Chinese with Ocean's Chinese Juggler and Artic's Loopy Laundry. Mercifully, considering the verbal possibilities, Artic have contented themselves with a very short scenario on the inlay, merely pointing out that as Mr Wong contends with the laundry, he also chased by soapsuds, an iron and a bag of dirty laundry.

The laundry takes the form of a very traditional looking five platform game with between two or three ladders connecting each floor. To the right of the screen a laundry chute runs from top floor to the bottom and it is into this chute on the top floor, that the items of clothing to be found, must be flung. Mr Wong is only able to carry one item at a time (presumably underlining that famous old Chinese proverb about many hands making light work). He is aided in his oriental perambulations by starch, which may be fired at the pursuing laundromaniacs, stiffening their resolve but freezing their action for a few precious moments. The starch, however, runs out very quickly and leaves Mr Wong vulnerable until a new box appears on the screen somewhere. To be active it must be collected before it vanishes again.

On the ground floor there is a washing line stretched out which shows the items of clothing that must be collected. These float around (unmoving) on the different floors. A busy washing machine calculates points remaining, which start at 990 and tick down.

Control keys: Q/A up/down, O/P left/right, bottom row to fire starch
Joystick: Kempston, ZX 2, AGF, Protek
Keyboard play: responsive and sensible positions
Use of colour: very good and varied
Graphics: good, smooth and well detailed
Sound: average
Skill levels: 1 with increasingly difficult screens
Lives: 5
Screens: 1
Originality: a variation on the 'Panic' platform type

'In many ways this is a 'Panic' like game - running up and down ladders, avoiding aliens (well irons etc.) and generally carrying out your task. The laundry is small compared with Mr Wong, but quite detailed and well coloured. Keyboard responses are good with a sensible key layout. The game is very different but not really addictive. An unoriginal 'Panic' type game with few variations on the original theme. '

'The graphics are quite neat and move well although I found it irritating that due to the character block reading it is easy to get 'killed off by a chaser in certain circumstances when the eye tells you you have escaped This happens most on the ladders where on reaching the top and moving off along the floor, the ascending chaser's block touches yours. The sound is a bit sparse apart from the nice Chinese type tune.'

'This is a 'Panic' variation game. It's generally good, ie. graphics, colour and playability are all okay, but it's only a variant and doesn't tend to be too original. Artic's Bear Bower was a very good platform game - this is not so hot! Basically it is playable and almost addictive but tends to suffer from averageness (if there isn't such a word. there is now!).'