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Yes, he's back! Superior Software's enormously popular Repton makes yet another appearance - his fourth. This time he stars in the story of his life.

For old hands, the The Life Of Repton is a collection of forty new screens for Repton 3. If you're a fan, that alone should be enough for you to go out and buy a copy. If, on the other hand, you've been living in the asteroid belt for the last two years then a few words of explanation will be in order.

Repton is a cute little reptilian character and the object is to move him around a maze collecting diamonds and killing monsters as you go. Each maze contains earth which you can dig through and barriers through which nothing can pass.

You need to plan your route carefully, otherwise a boulder may fall and trap a diamond or squash Repton. There are several puzzles on each screen and you can call up a map of the easier screens to help your planning.

The Life Of Repton includes the original Repton 3 shell, but not the screens. The forty new screens load in blocks of eight. The first set depicts Repton as a baby, the second shows him at school, the third is Repton in his teens, the fourth at work and the fifth is Repton as an old man.

The graphics in each section have been redesigned - so in the baby set, humpty-dumptys take the place of boulders, teddy bears take the place of diamonds, a fireplace is the skull and irate dogs and toy soldiers become monsters.

The graphics in the other ages are similarly appropriate - as a teenager, cigarettes take the place of the skull, while at work a floppy disc is the spirit. As an OAP war medals become the diamonds.

The Life Of Repton also includes the screen editor. This allows you to edit existing screens or construct new ones. The editor is an excellent piece of software in itself.

Before you can edit a screen however, you must successfully complete. When you do, you are given a five-digit code number to be used in the editor. You are also given a password for the next screen so you don't have to start from screen one every time you play.

The instructions are generally helpful, although I did find one oddity in the part which tells you the puzzles are not impossible. It says: "We assure you that Around the World can be completed".

Back with the program, if you manage to complete all five sets of eight screens without using a password you are eligible to enter a competition. Upon completion of a set, a congratulatory message appears along with a competition entry code number. To enter, you need all five code numbers.

Minor niggles apart, The Life Of Repton is a superb game which will keep you busy for days, probably weeks. If you don't have a Repton game already then buy this.

Ian Waugh