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Snapper. The very name casts a spell that draws me helplessly back to the keyboard, to another contest of dexterity and ingenuity with those mean monsters of the maze. For this is the best BBC version of that all-time classic Pac-Man.

The idea is simplicity itself. The screen displays a maze divided into quadrants in the centre of which is the den of the four monsters. The paths of the maze are littered with dots to be snapped and in each of the quadrants is a flashing green power pill.

When Snapper swallows these, the monsters turn blue and can be consumed - one gulp and all that's left is their eyes fleeing back to the den.

Your Snapper is a rotund yellow creature with a green hat and a voracious blue mouth. A perky tune, a call to arms for all Snapperites, sets you off. Using the four direction keys you hungrily speed off, devouring all the dots in your path.

But these monsters are not idle. Pretty soon they're out of their den, off to patrol their respective sectors. Pretty soon, too, they gobble you up and you will have learned the first fact of Snapper life - strict sector discipline must be maintained. Study the monsters' pattern, learn the best route and stick to it. Deviation from the true path is always punished.

On the first two sheets the monsters' predictability allows you to master key control and tot up lots of points. The delicious fruit which appears in the centre of the bottom half is yours for eating: cherries on the first screen, then a resplendent strawberry followed by crispy russet apples, glistening sweet plums and much, much more. it's like the greengrocers of your dreams packed with irresistible goodies.

In the early stages you should also be able to consume all four monsters in their blue and vulnerable state. Listen for the warbling notes as they return to normal and be careful not to chase them too long. You'll find that snapping all four monsters is an exceptionally satisfying experience.

But it's after the third screen that things start to get really frenetic. The monsters develop minds of their own and rush around causing you all sorts of problems.

The different coloured monsters develop individual characteristics. Pinky, in particular, has to be watched because he's a bit of a psychopath: you just can't tell what he's going to do next.

Now you'll find yourself in a frenzy to get through to the next screen, to the next luscious fruit. Monsters will be on your tail in hot pursuit, and now you'll have to use the tunnels at the sides in order to survive - but don't enter them too often or Pinky will be on to you.

To spur you on to even greater heights there is the lure of the Golden Bell, and, finally, the Giant Acorn - the prize that Snapperites dream of. But you'll have to get through twelve screens to see it.