A program in the Games to Stretch the Mind series, Run Rabbit Run has been designed to promote thinking skills in young children. It can be played by one player against the computer, or by two players against one another.

You can choose how many rabbits you would like (from two to four), and whether you or the computer should control the fox. The screen then shows a ten by ten grid which is the board for the game. White squares represent open ground, blue squares are ponds where animals will drown, green ones are bushes for hiding in, and there are also burrows where the rabbits may hide. The idea is to move the rabbits to their home burrows before the fox catches them. Below the grid, you are told the number of moves that the animal has left: these are chosen by the computer at random - four rabbits have between four and twelve moves, three have between three and nine moves, and two have between two and six moves. The fox always has between three and eight moves.

The accompanying booklet describes all the rules and explains the keys for moving the animals. Number keys 1 to 8 are used, allowing movement horizontally, vertically and diagonally. The game is certainly useful in encouraging skills of predictive reasoning, and the children who tried it out for me thoroughly enjoyed it - once they understood the rules!

Control keys: number keys move the animals: it would have been easier if a keyboard overlay had been provided
Keyboard play: responsive
Graphics: simple but good
Use of colour: the black border is rather depressing