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What sort of game could a Neighbours game be? Impulze couldn't have made it into a beat 'em up (although a Mrs. Mangel bashing game could have been very enjoyable), or into an adventure game where you have a quest to find an original script.

So what does the garde involve? Well, Impulze have come up with a 3-D racing game with Scott Robinson on his skateboard. amazing!!!

The other contestants each have their own type of transport, ranging from Matt on his motorbike, to Henry on his nitro injected lawnmower of doom. There are four locations to race around including such delights as Lassiter's Complex and Anson's Corner, with two races at each, split into three laps (isn't life complicated in Ramsey Street, eh?) In each lap you must pass through a number of slalom gate thingies, that fat-boy Harold has scattered everywhere.

Scott also has an energy bar in the form of his popularity. By hitting obstacles Scott loses popularity (Bring me my coloured coat) so smashing into the old bat Mrs Mangel does nothing to boost your chances of success (although satisfaction is guaranteed).

In-game graphics are quite awful, featuring bland backgrounds and poorly animated sprites. The scrolling keeps up with the action well enough by jerking painfully about the play area. Sound is equally as bad with a pitiful rendition of the Neighbours theme tune and dire spot effects.

But where Neighbours flat on it's face is in the lack of variety. Although careering around the tracks is quite first, it soon gets tedious. Just because the T.V. program is so popular with little change or originality, there's no reason to believe that the computer game can get away with the same bland formula - in fact it's this lack of spice that wipes out any possible long-term enjoyment. Neighbours is a game best left to the brain-dead vegetables of the world, who do not value normal things like money or sanity.

Label: Impulze Memory: 48K/128K Price: £10.99 Tape, £15.99 Disk Reviewer: Matthew Denton

For a full price game, Neighbours is about as enjoyable as listening to Dorothy Burke for one whole TV episode. A two-player option might have saved this somewhat, but if it were my money, I'd go for something that would last for weeks rather than a couple of hours. One for the budget label perhaps?