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In this rather zany game from Alligata you are confronted with the task of guiding Tarzan through the terrors of the jungle to rescue his sweetheart Jane. The scenery is not quite as I remember it from the films however. Lifts in the jungles?

There are four screens to negotiate with a whole host of weird and wonderful hazards to impede the progress of our loin-clothed hero. Apart from the more usual inhabitants of the jungle such as snakes, gorillas, baboons and crocodiles, there are flying saucers, gnashing teeth - and a very large eyeball! Some of the objects featured on some screens of the game really defy description.

On each screen, Tarzan must find his way to the signpost with the arrow on it before he progresses to the next and finally on the fourth gets to his loved one, Jane. There are rivers to cross, trees to climb and ravines to jump, apart from all the meanies waiting to ambush him. Lifts provide the means of moving from one point to another, but these are hazards themselves needing sharp reactions to avoid being crushed.

A demo mode is provided in the game to enable a glimpse of the screens to come. When I say a glimpse, I mean a glimpse as they cycle through at a rapid rate of knots.

Scoring in the game is worked out on the time taken to complete the current screen. One feature I like is that you don't lose a life if you fall from any point to the bottom of the screen, unless of course you happen to land on a hazard or meanie of some kind.

Graphics in Tarzan Boy are a little bizarre to say the least, but nevertheless really excellent and very reminiscent of Blagger in some ways. The amount of flicker-free animation on all screens is quite remarkable. Sound is good too, right from the tune played whilst loading to the effects in the game itself. Never annoying but adding to the game effectively without going over the top.

The only thing I found to criticise in Tarzan Boy was the lack of a high score table for those who need one. Apart from that, this is a real gem of a game which has that element of addictiveness and fun that makes you go back to it again and again. A definite must for any Beeb game fanatic.

Dave ReederPeter Rochford