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The Amazing Shrinking Man is one of the new games from one of the many French software houses. There is a funny sort of quirky quality to this game plus you can choose which language the messages appear in: Spanish, French, German or English.

You play Professor Nitro, who accidentally drank some of his recently invented formula for reducing cells. Almost at once, he shrank so small that he fell into the waste basket next to his desk. This is where you come in.

The object of the first part of the game is to collect all the sheets of paper which make up the formula. You must climb ladders - in a bin! - and other objects, while trying to avoid flies, ants, chewing-gum and deadly drops of acid. Scattered around the bin are bags containing useful items to help you complete your task and to defend against your enemies.

In the second part, the laboratory, you must stick all the different pieces of paper onto a blackboard. You need light, which must be switched on. That, however, is not all. You must find a solution to dilute the invisible ink which covers the formula. Only then do the ingredients of the formula appear. These must be found and mixed in the correct order and quantity. To mix them, you must put them in a funnel and turn the tap on. Having done that, you must turn on the Bunsen burner and go to the mouth of the container so that the prof can drink the antidote.

The Amazing Shrinking Man is definitely an arcade game, though until you play it you might think it an arcade adventure. Believe me, there's *no* adventure. Unfortunate really, because the graphics are pretty spectacular but the game lacks overall playability. I found the bin too crowded and difficult to move about in, mainly because the movement is too fast.

I was very taken with the graphics, which are different from any I've encountered before: The gameplay is also quite original, a sort of platform game with less order to it. You'll enjoy exploring the environment but get frustrated with it the more you play. Definitely worth a look - but it won't appeal to all.

Clear, green rubbish-bin.

Collect ten pieces of the formula.

Graphics 71%
P. Excellent depiction of the rubbish in the bin.
P. Smooth scrolling between the six screens of part one.

Sonics 57%
P. Very good and variant musique electronique.

Grab Factor 69%
P. The plot and graphics encourage investigation.
N. Inescapable spots force suicide.

Staying Power 66%
P. Two difficult parts to the game.
N. Difficult control gets harder the further you go.

Overall 68%
Another highly original import.