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With bated breath I stepped gingerly on to the turtle's back - suddenly it dived and, with a loud splash, I landed in the drink!

Purple Turtles is one of the cutest games I've seen for a long time. The object is simple - just cross the river, using the turtles as stepping stones, to retrieve the fallen fruit on the opposite bank.

However, life isn't always easy and, in this case, danger lurks with every step. The passive floating turtles are often overcome with a sudden urge to dive just when you are standing on them!

Once on the opposite bank, your man picks up a piece of fruit and retraces his steps across the river to a very hungry owl, sitting in his tree he gives you a rapturous hooting welcome! There are five pieces of fruit to retrieve in each level plus a time limit to contend with.

Each successive level becomes a little harder as more than one turtle will dive at the same time. Unfortunately, you can't change direction in mid-jump and so, if a turtle dives, you've had it!

There are nine difficulty settings and nine speed settings which make a dramatic difference to the game. I found it impossible on the high difficulty settings to jump my little man safely across the river as at some point all the turtles are underwater at the same time.

Both the sound effects and graphics are excellent, with a constant change of scenery in the background and all accompanied by a very catchy jingle.

Although not a game to set the adrenalin flowing, Purple Turtles has a certain addictive quality and I found it very enjoyable to play.

With keyboard or joystick controol for the Commodore 64, Purple Turtles is available from Manchester-based Quicksilva for £7.95.