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Ho ho ho, little Commodores, have got a surprise for you! With endless dud Christmas records in the music charts, I suppose it was inevitable that the software companies would want a slice of the (mince) pie eventually, but would you welcome its arrival down your chimney this Christmas? Or would it make you want to light the fire?

The aim of the game is to help Santa deliver this year's batch of overpriced toys to the hoards of screaming brats. Of course the Christmas-hating pixies have other ideas - they've gathered lots of spare prezzies to throw at you.

A quick short cut through the melting iceberg in Level Two takes you to your destination, where you hand out the goodies.

Santa's Xmas Caper reminds me of one of those old Jeff Minter games, with lots of colour and 'bullet' sprites that are identical to the 'baddie' sprites. The main character is enormous, as are the bullets. Collision detection is of a very high standard, though, so when you lose your six lives you've only yourself to blame.

Of course, there's nothing really new here, just a horizontally scrolling shoot-'em-up with a Christmassy theme. Even so, the game is brilliantly executed and very playable. You won't be playing it forever, but it will go down a treat with all the relatives on Boxing Day. A worthwhile addition to anyone's Christmas stocking.