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Pogo is a demolition worker. He doesn't wear a hard yellow hat, but he does drive a JCB submarine and leap around a lot. The reason for this is that he lives on the planet Nebulus, a planet with loads of water, so if he didn't drive a submarine, he'd get a bit wet.

Now, some naughty so-and-so has been building big towers in the sea, for no particular reason at all. These towers are a bit of an eyesore to tell the truth, not to mention the distress they cause the fish. Someone must be found to destroy the towers and return the seas of Nebulus to normal. With no consideration for personl danger and hardship, the head of Destructo Inc (Pogo's boss) volunteers... Pogo.

Having been dragged out of bed, Pogo stumble into his sub and chugs off to the towers.

This is the point where you take the part of Pogo in the Amiga version of Nebulus. To destroy the towers you must shut down the supporting field located at the top of the tower by climbing up via a series of platforms. Now the nasty fiend that constructed the towers wanted to make sure that they were left well alone, so he rigged them with traps and guards, to try and make you fall off into the water (glug) thus losing one of your three lives.

If you do manage to complete the level (by reaching the top of the tower), Pogo is so pleased that he plays a little tune on his portable Casio keyboard - but he's no musician so he hits a couple of bum notes!

Next comes the bonus level which consists of a horizontally scrolling section in which you must catch fish be shooting bubbles at them and then collecting them for bonus point. After that we have (gasp!) the next - harder - level! Da-daaaaa! But if you're so hard that you can complete all the towers easily then why not try mission two! (Oh no! Not mission two! Anything but mission two!) Ha-ha-ha...

Hnngghhh! Hnnnnghh! This is driving me crazy! Nebulus' frighteningly addictive platforming puzzles stopped work, not only in the Zzap! office, but also in the nether regions of the Art department!

I had expected some improvements over the C64 version, but a whole alternate set of towers was a bit of a surprise.

John Phillips has really taken a lot of care over the game graphics which feature loads of lavish touches, such as the rippling waves and reflections in the water, and the ability to see through the holes in the towers. The tower designs are utterly heartless, allowing you to get really close to the to of the tower with only a few seconds left, thinking "I'm going to make it! After 90 attempts at this tower, I'm going to make it!" And then you're stranded on an isolated platform with nowhere to go and one of those spinning bas... - er, things - appears and knocks you halfway down the tower. Hhnnngghh!!

Well, this is just about the best conversion I've seen from an 8-bit to an Amiga!

None of the gameplay has been lost - the towers are just as hard - and this time there are twice as many! In fact, if you thought the C64 version was tough, just try mission two on the Amiga - aaaargh!

In fact, I'll say it again in case you missed the point - aaaaaaaaargh!! The graphics are just about spot on, even if the rotation does slow everso slightly when there are quite a few balls bouncing around, and even though the sound FX are sparse, they're still pretty neat.

The action grabs you right from the start and doesn't let go: not a game to pay when you're trying to finish a mega Christmas issue. Just one more thing: miss this and you're missing one of the most original and addictive games on the Amiga!

I was a great fan of the C64 version of Nebulus, so I was really looking forward to seeing the Amiga version. I must say I'm not at all disappointed. It's brilliant!

Some of the graphical touches, such as the reflections in the water are simply stunning, and the rotational effect is every bit as good as the 8-bit version.

Sound is also used to good effect, with some wonderful plinky-plonk tunes and spot effects, although I don't know why they've used the sound of Herman Munster coughing!

Now there's something I haven't mentioned... ah, yes! The gameplay! Well, in a word, it's absolutely fantastic [That's two - Ed]. Okay, shut up, shut up! The action is frenetic to say the least, panic often setting in when a monster or robot bears down on you from the other side of the tower!

Well, I think I've told you enough about it, I'm going for another go!

Presentation 76%
Two missions and a one or two player option, but not much else.

Graphics 90%
Excellent touches throughout portrayed by brilliantly defined and animated sprites.

Sound 80%
Pleasant tunes and jaunty effects suit the action well.

Hookability 91%
The 'cute' appeal causes instant addiction.

Lastability 95%
Like Superglue in the underwear - sticks you to the seat! Hahahahahahaha! (c) 1988 Bad Jokes Inc.

Overall 97%
An excellent 16-bit conversion of a classic 8-bit masterpiece.