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In the world of international trouble-shooting, improvisation is the key. For instance, did you know that Red Adair once dealt with a major rig blow-out by using his secretary's hairpin? They don't make them like that any more!

In Pneumatic Hammers, *you* are the trouble-shooter. The handle of a pile-driving machine at a research base has sheered off, thus rendering the machine uncontrollable. The continuous hammering is starting to crumble the wall of the canyon where the base is situated - minor rockslides have started, and the pile-driver is going to bury itself is something isn't done soon. The only solution is to collect the gold scattered around the canyon, and melt it down to form a new handle.

The research base consists of five rooms connected by a lift. The building is in the middle of a stream running down the canyon, with piles being driven into the riverbed on either side. The canyon walls slope gradually upwards from the river, with rubble from the landslides piling up at the river's edge.

To get to the mineral-rich rubble, you have to hop across the river using the piles as stepping stones. There is the ever-present danger of being crushed by the pile-drivers while making this crossing, but this isn't as bad as it sounds - your hard hat protects offers protection, and you merely lose balance and fall into the river.

When you reach your destination, the screen switches from a side-on view of the base to an overhead view of a pile of rubble. A signal sounds as your metal detector sweeps across the debris, and when gold is detected, the signal increases in pitch. After pin-pointing the nugget, the metal detector is put down and a hand appears, ready to take the precious mineral.

Occasionally a landslide occurs, burying any objects in its patch - including the metal detector if it is not safely in your grasp. Fortunately, you are indestructible, so a landslide never buries you.

When enough gold has been collected, it's time to hop back to the base and weigh the nuggets to determine their purity - only nuggets weighing 10, 20, 50 or 100g are acceptable. Once you have enough nuggets, you can melt them in the furnace.

An options screen allows you to determine the weight of the handle - and thus the duration of the game, as more gold is required to make a heavier handle. The length of time between landslides, and the frequency of the pile-drivers can also be defined.

Pneumatic Hammers is highly original, which is to be expected coming from Andromeda, as they always attempt something new. However, there isn't much to it, and what's there is very tedious - after playing for an hour or so I quickly lost interest.

Ah well, at least Firebird had the sense to release this at a budget price - it's certainly not worth much more than two quid.

Gathering up the required number of nuggets is a tedious and repetitive process, although fairly absorbing at first. But if the to-ing and fro-ing wasn't bad enough, some tasks are very awkward as the computer is fussy about the precise positioning of the 'hand' cursor.

If you're prepared to take the time to get into this game, you might find it rewarding - one for the very persistent and patient types amongst you perhaps?

This is a completely original game which plops nicely into the mainstream of the budget game river. The backdrops are very pretty, although the view is ruined by the exceptionally chunky sprites that wobble in the foreground.

The program is a bit fussy when it comes to changing tools, and you have to position the hand over the correct pixel if you want to pick up or drop something. Jumping across the river without falling in also takes some doing. This might be off-putting to a first-time player, but if you're prepared to stick at it, there's a fair bit of enjoyment to be had.

Presentation 68%
Adequate instructions, and good in-game presentation.

Graphics 67%
Pleasant backdrops marred by crude sprites.

Sound 49%
Suitable spot effects.

Hookability 57%
Difficult to get to grips with due to its originality.

Lastability 61%
Perseverance will probably be rewarded.

Value For Money 69%
An acceptable quota of fun for your two quid.

Overall 58%
An original and mildly entertaining piece of budget software.