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This is the first computer game that's actually made me laugh out loud! Unlike Gargoyle's earlier games - that have been quite serious and mentally taxing - Sweevo's World is an enjoyable, tongue-in-cheek romp through the sort of territory originally explored by Ultimate in Knight Lore and Alien-8.

Sweevo is a Self Willed Extreme Environment Vocational Organism, designed to go out into the galaxy and clean up inhospitable planets. The trouble is that, as Self Willed Extreme Environment Organisms go, poor Sweevo is a bit of a failure; he's failed all the tests that the Sweevo machines are meant to undergo (he failed to turn up for the memory test, as he forgot all about it!), but his Robo-Master has decided to give him one more chance to redeem himself.

The artificial planetoid, Knutz Folly, created by one mad Baron Knutz and his wife Hazel, is populated by all sorts of genetic experiments created by the Baron, and it is Sweevo's task to boldly go where no Sweevo has gone before and clean out the place.

Graphically speaking Knutz Folly bears a strong resemblance to the Starship in Alien-8. The view is the same sort of overhead perspective as in the Ultimate games, and Sweevo, who is an ungainly, but endearing-looking character, moves diagonally across the screen as he moves around the rooms. Keyboard control of Sweevo is actually better than the control system used by Ultimate, though.

Instead of rotating and moving in the direction that he is facing, Sweevo simply moves in one of four directions by using the appropriate keys, and I found this system much easier to use than that of Alien-8/Knight Lore,

The rooms of Knutz Folly contain the sort of obstacles, blocks and traps that have become familiar to games players, but instead of being able to jump over these obstacles, Sweevo must locate elevator pads in the rooms which will lift him up. But it's not always obvious how he can use these pads to get around obstacles and Sweevo has to collect objects, such as tins and boots which will come in handy.

Some of the traps that are in his way are very novel. There are great fingers that come thrusting up out of the ground, Incan statues that do the same and pixie-like creatures that look cute but are absolutely deadly. All these things are large and finely detailed, and very well animated - especially the fingers, that have a sort of surreal quality (Well, when was the last time that you saw a six foot finger pop up out of nowhere?).

All the screens are drawn in just two colours, in order to avoid attribute clashes, but the overall quality of the graphics is excellent.

The outstanding feature of Sweevo's World though, is the warped sense of humour it displays. Some of the deadliest objects in the game are bits of fruit, and the way to recharge Sweevo's energy level is to goose a goose (you see, there's this goose running around, the one that lays the Golden Eggs, and if you run up behind it and go "Boo!" then it will recharge your batteries). Oh, and if you walk into a room that has a hole in the floor, then drop through that hole at your peril!

There's much more in Sweevo's World that I could go on about, but the best thing I can say about the game is that I'd rather go back and carry on playing it than sit here and waffle on much longer...