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Don't you just love 'em? The supersonic bird and the coyote who never gives up. There are plenty of thrills 'n spills, and who can target the classic scene where Wile E falls several hundred feet and kicks up a small cloud of dust as he hits the ground? Fans of the cartoon will be pleased that Hi-Tec have pixilated the Looney Tunes ("Th-th-that's all folks!") duo.

You play Road Runner, who's chased over eight levels by one of the most accident-prone characters in cartoondom. The first sees Road Runner picking up as much birdseed as his greedy tum will hold (bird seed equals energy). But out for your blood is "that" coyote, in a range of death-dealing machines.

Along with Wile E's kamikaze attacks, a range of unfriendly creatures try to send you to birdie heaven. In the status panel, there's an energy bar which depletes on contact with the creatures or the nasty objects Mr. Coyote lobs, so a lot of ducking and diving is needed. This part of the game is timed: if you pack in enough carbohydrates, you move onto the second part.

Here Road Runner is allowed to show his paces as he zooms along a deserted and dusty road. Deserted, that is, except for furface and the very nippy contraptions he uses to catch you. The more energy you enter this part with, the better your chances of escaping.

Set in the road are a variety of obstacles that slow you down if you're not careful, and Wile E soon appears on a rocket.

Basically it's a question of pumping up your energy to survive, or alternatively having enough patience. Personally I found little to keep me playing for long.

The first section's a simple case of 'dodge and peck'. This is easy at first, but later it becomes @$%"ing impossible. The second part offers very little challenge if you peck enough seed and avoid the obstacles.

Both the bird and the coyote are instantly recognisable, but I'm afraid I must have a moan: the backdrops are colourful but they often hide the monochrome characters. Many's the time I lost sight of the Road Runner - and it wasn't because of the speed he was moving!

Much like the cartoons, my favourite part was at the end of the second section where the coyote plummets oft a cliff to his doom, but that's not reason enough for me to recommend this licence.

Yeah! - one of my favourite cartoon duos in their own game! This is the first name in the new Hi-Tec Loony Tunes range, but not the first Road Runner game. The Hi-Tec version looks very 'budget'. A good budget game should look like it could be sold at full price - Road Runner couldn't.

There are two main stages which once completed repeat with different backgrounds and a slightly harder difficulty level. The scrolling sections are quite fun but when things repeat you soon get fed up.

Graphically the game is great: the animation of the characters and the sequences where Wile E falls from a great height couldn't be better. Call me old fashioned but I want a bit more variety in a game.

Overall 64%
Road Runner and Wile E Coyote is a nice try, but no cigar.