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All these city slickers who mean that it's a jungle out there must be blind. Surely they can see that the answer to all their problems is to wear a loin cloth! Look at Tarzan: surrounded by ferocious beasts aplenty, but did they ever touch him? Nope. It's the loin cloth, you see - they were scared to give him any grief or otherwise that flimsy pouch would go flying! The same sort of principle was employed by the Celt army. The thought of thousands of Scots' willies waving in the wind as they ran at full speed was enough to break the bravest warrior out.

Ths idea certainly worked for Mowgli the mancub, which brings us nicely to the point of this intro as it's platform action aplenty as Rudyard Kipling's (and later Disney's) classic Jungle Book swings onto the Megadrive.

Having lived in the jungle since infancy, Mowgli is none-too-pleased at the prospect of returning to human society but return he must as Shere Kahn - the man-eating tiger - is back and wants nothing more than to fill his face with tender mancub.

Mowgli's guardians, Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear, are along to help the young 'un on his quest over the ten jungley platform levels where bonuses, extra weapons and point boosters are there for the taking while the beasts of the jungle try their best to thwart the mancub's escape plans.

Based on the classic Walt Disney animated feature film.

Guide young Mowgli across the ten platform levels and five bonus sections, collecting gems and finding his chums.

On the first level, you get a free ride as far as bosses are concerned - it's just a matter of collecting your gems and finding Bagheera, who's basking in the sun. Thereafter, though, it gets a bit more tricky. Here's the gen on a few of the guardians:

1. King Louie: Another fruit thrower, but a lot more ferocious than Baloo.

2. Shere Kahn: The final and trickiest boss to tackle, which we're not going to give you even a hint on - you'll have to wait and see.

3. Kaa The Snake: Attacking Mowgli from all angles, this slimy creep shoots hypnotic homing missiles from his eyes which the boy must avoid while shooting Kaa's head for all he's worth.

4. Baloo The Bear: Mowgli's pal still holds the mancub up because he thinks it's a real hoot to chuck fruit at him. Mowgli must balance on two rocks in the river, catch the fruit and chuck it back.

Like Cool Spot, Global Gladiators and Aladdin before it, The Jungle Book is an unashamed platform game. And, like most games of this gengre, there are pick-ups aplenty en route. Here's a run-down of some of the more useful ones:

1. Heart: Boosts Mowgli's energy level

2. Mowgli Head: An extra life usually found far out of the mancub's grasp. Can only be reached by leaping energetically on an obliging snake.

3. Gems: A certain number of these must be found per level before Mowgli can progress to the boss and ultimately the next level.

Although Mowgli can waste some of his foes by bouncing on them, he couldn't survive without his weapons. Luckily, there are a number of power-ups at his disposal. He starts with a limitless supply of bananas to throw but these can be exchanged for:

1. Nuts: Slightly more powerful than the standard shot.

2. Mask: Makes Mowgli temporarily invincible whenever he chooses. Handy for tackling bosses.

3. Double Bananas: Another nice one for taking on bosses.

4. Boomerang: Surrounds the mancub with fast-moving boomerangs - great when confronting lots of baddies at once.

Hidden throughout the game are five bonus levels which can only be accessed when Mowgli discovers a secret spade. He then finds himself in a cave where masses of power-up icons are lying, just gagging to be picked up.

A few weeks ago, Virgin's Aladdin was given 'Game of the Show' at the ECTS in London. I thought it was a ridiculous decision, judged entirely on appearance alone.

Jungle Book has been conceived out of the same mould, and may receive the same fatuous accolades. In fact, Jungle Book is nothing more than a re-styling of a concept which was a re-styling of Cool Spot which was a re-styling...

There's no doubting this game's beauty. A phenomenal amount of work has gone into tiny details like flies, Mowgli's animation, pastel-shaded backgrounds, and falling leaves. But in gameplay terms it's appallingly regressive. How can a game be playtested properly when you traverse three-quarters of its levels within a day?

It's an attractive, seductive game, but with a lethal lack of lastability. Virgin are innovative developers, and have produced many breakthrough games (Dune II comes to mind), and will no doubt write many more but, sadly, Jungle Book is not among them.

Wowee, whoopee-doo and salutations - it's another platform game from Virgin which is not at all like Cool Spot, Global Gladiators or Aladdin. OK, you've caught me out: it is similar. Very similar. But to be fair, I do like this one more than all the others. The graphics are spot on - typically lavish, colourful and Disney-esque with massive sprites and excelently represented characters from the cartoon and the jolly Jungle Book tunes are present and correct. But what about the all-important playability?

Well, platformy it may be with the usual leaping from place to place, collecting power-ups and shooting foes, but it is good fun - especially with the bonus levels and hidden areas thrown in for good measure. However, like many before it, this game is much too easy - I reached the eighth level on my first go and, although I probably didn't reach all the hidden areas, this doesn't bode well on the lastability front.

Sadly, unless you're a Disney freak, it means it just ain't worth the cash.

Graphics 91% P. Spot on. Beautiful backgrounds and huge, detailed sprites which are all faithful representatons of the Disney characters.

Sound 84% P. All the old favourites from the feature film are in here. N. The effects are a bit naff, though.

Playability 88% P. Really easy to get into with lots of places to explore. N. But it's the same old thing with nothing new to offer.

Lastability 66% P. The bonus levels take some finding! N. The ten evels can be zipped through far too quickly and, once completed, there's nothing to bring you back.

Value For Money 68% N. A game which will take you only a couple of days at the most to complete just isn't worth the cash demanded nowadays for Megadrive carts.

Overall 75% This game's rather like a Ming vase - beautiful to look at, but empty, too easily cracked and not worth the money.