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As part of a recent series of Jim'll Fix It, Mr. Saville fixed it for a young programmer's game to be released to the general public. Super Trolley, released by Mastertronic, is the result.

As a shelf stacker in the local isometric 3D supermarket, the player is set tasks by the store manager which must be completed within a time limit to gain points. These tasks involve collecting foodstuffs from the warehouse and stacking them on the correct shelf, a job hindered by shoppers, dogs, pesky kids and porters who take great delight in unstacking your shelves. Each daily assignment is more difficult than the last, and failure to finish work in the allotted time loses points. Just like real life, consistent competence is rewarded with promotion, but eternal failure results in condemnation to the dole queue.

A little lad's letter sent to Jim'll Fix It hardly seems like a promising start for a game design, and indeed it lives up to all expectations - in other words, it's awful!

Super Trolley is feeble in every sense of the word. Derivative scenario, dire graphics, weak sound and totally monotonous gameplay combine to form a whole which, even at the standard budget price of £1.99, is overpriced.

Even the instructions are substandard, giving virtually no help to the player at all. Not even a day with some of Paul's favourite Geordie sayings could be as dull as this and I value my money too highly to give it to purveyors of such 'entertainment'.

From the screenshots on the packaging, it looks like this was originally an Amstrad game, and Super Trolley certainly looks better on that machine.

The Commodore version is occupied by drab, grey sprites which trundle over drab, grey backdrops, and it's very, very easy to get lost with screen upon screen of indistinct, isometric block screens. In fact, I couldn't even find the warehouse, and ended up going round in circles instead, making progress impossible and the game unplayable!

Steer your software shopping trolley well clear of this one.

Presentation 68%
Only an invaders loader to entice the player.

Graphics 24%
Boring sprites and confusing supermarket aisles.

Sound 35%
Nauseatingly jolly tune and no sound effects.

Hookability 20%
Mazes of shelves make supermarket familiarity impossible.

Lastability 10%
Even if the warehouse could be found, this game would still be ultimately tedious.

Overall 17%
An unplayable game which should have stayed in Jimmy's magic chair.