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A doggie's lot is not a happy one. Eating tinned mush that looks like it's already been eaten, playing with crappy squeaky toys that smell like used condoms, and choccie drops that taste like coat buttons - you pretend you like them though, 'cos you're a 'Good Dog'.

Needless to say, Potsworth wasn't having any of it. Not content to spend the rest of his life crapping on pavements and barking his head off at three in the morning, he decided to become... a crime-fighter! Hero of the people! Righter of wrongs! Doer of good deeds! Sounds like a good excuse for a computer game, eh?

Life in the Dream Zone is not all it should be. When the Grand Dozer wakes, it'll be destroyed, and the evil Midnight Prince will do anything in his power to rouse him! The only way to keep him asleep is to find the five Objects of Slumber - sounds like a job for Potsworth & Co,

For those who've never seen the cartoon, each night Potsworth and his daytime chums enter the Dream Zone, where they develop special powers according to their daytime characteristics. All must help Potsworth in his quest to keep Dozer dozing, so to speed things up, they split.

Level One sees Rosie fighting her way through the Cave Zone to free the Stone Giant, frozen in ice along with the exit key. This can only be achieved by reconnecting the five parts of a ghetto blaster and playing it very loudly - well, this is a dream! Most important of all, she must escape with the moon rock, a sleep-inducing stone that will help keep the king akip.

Nick's task is to search the Super Zone for the magic poppy, another sleep-inducer. Then he must use his comic-inspired superpowers to scrap his way to the top of the Suspire State Building, location of the doorway to Nightmare Castle.

Hanna-Barbera's canine creation appears on Level Three, where you must guide Potsworth through the Candy Zone in search of the six cocoa beans and a mug: ingredients for Dozer's favourite bedtime beverage. Beware of giant cakes that sink when you tread on them, and rivers of cream with floating wafers as stepping stones. [Sounds like paradise - Fat Ed]

Carter, the unstoppable doodle machine. is the Midnight Patrol's resident artist. He must rush through the Rainbow Zone in search of a bucket and six drips from the rainbow taps - when collected, he returns to his easel and paints a sleepy picture.

To aid him in this perilous pursuit he uses his paint - his pictures come to life, and he can paint ledges to help him get to otherwise impossible places. (If Oli ever earns his secret, I'm quitting - can you imagine sharing a desk with the bloodthirsty buggers he puts on the ZZAP! covers?)

The final level sees Keko, the skateboard wizard, flying through a fairground in search of five arrows and a dollar bill. Having found them, it's off to help the Indians, who give her a giant teddy for the Grand Dozer. (Aah...)

Gameplay couldn't be simpler. Leap around five levels of platforms-and-ladders action, bopping baddies and grabbing goodies on the way. Each character has their own way of eliminating enemies, e.g. Rosie stuns them with her colossal cakehole (a bit like Lucy), muscle-man Nick throws objects at them, Potsworth bungs bones, etc.

All can leap on their opponent's heads, Super Mario style. Make no mistake, though - simplistic it may be, easy it ain't! The skills curve is very well thought out; each level more challenging than the last, with plenty of variety on offer.

Graphics are superb, using just enough colour to create atmosphere but without looking like an explosion in a paint factory. Each level has a flavour all of its own, with gloomy caves in Level 1, scrumptiously detailed cakes in the Candy Zone (Phil almost ate the screen!), etc. Thankfully, Hi-Tec have also avoided excessively detailed backdrops which hurt the eyes and make it impossible to see your sprite.

Control response and sprite masking are top-notch, and the eight-way screen scroll is so silky smooth it could be mistaken for Duncan Goodhew's head. Screw up, and it's your own fault, bud!

Potsworth avoids the trap of regurgitating a collection of badly fused game styles, and instead concentrates on squeezing every last ounce of playability from one - pure platform power, done to perfection. Great stuff!

I've never seen the Potsworth cartoon, but, if the game's anything to go by, I'm going to look out for it on the telly. If you're looking for something innovative, Potsworth isn't it. What it is is one of the best platform games I've played for a very long time. Forget Mario, this is much more fun with loads to do apart from the obvious platform jumping.

On all levels, there are switches to activate (by dropping objects on them) to open doors and activate lifts and conveyor belts, etc. The levels are really well-designed: perplexing, but never frustrating. My love is the Rainbow Zone - very reminiscent of Rainbow Islands! You should get a little bit further every time, and there's continue-plays to avoid boring level repetition. As with The Jetsons, Hi-Tec have done themselves proud with the colourful cartoon graphics which ooze character.

Let's face it, if you miss Potsworth you must be barking mad!

Presentation 84%
Polished production, with real feel for the host machine

Graphics 89%
Well drawn and animated with good use of colour

Sound 87%
Nice background tune and in-game effects

Hookability 92%
Grips you right from the start and keeps you there

Lastability 93%
Enough variation on a single theme to keep you playing

Overall 90%