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16K Vic 20 owners ought to be ecstatic at the arrival of Willy because they now have 33 screens of diabolical platform action, of which they have been deprived so far.

The game is in the great tradition of Manic Miner and presents all the usual problems that athletic miners face. On each screen there are a number of purple musical notes which you have to collect and these are usually placed in the most hazardous locations.

To get to the notes you have to negotiate several types of platform and monstrous hazards. The beasts come in four varieties, deadly ducks. wild dogs, steam trains which move left and right, and balloons which float up and down. All of these have to be avoided, mostly by making Willy jump in a long curving arc.

The floors are either solid, conveyor belts or collapsible and some sections are impossible to return to once the bricks have crumbled away.

The early couple of screens are fairly easy and allow even beginners to get into the game. They get harder though and after a few successes, you'll find yourself up against some real nerve-twanging problems.

There is a time limit for collecting each set of notes and it's usually fairly generous. When you've collected everything, the time you have left gives you a bonus score. Fortunately, you don't have to make it to an exit door but just touch the last note. This is handy when one note is placed way out in mid-air.

Fortunately, even when you do die you are only returned to the start of the screen you died on and the notes already collected do not reappear. The hardest thing to get the hang of is Willy's leaping, since you have to start your jump some way before an object in order to gain enough height.

If you're sick of platform games then this isn't for you, but those of us still hooked will be leaping into the early hours with this excellent game.

I couldn't believe this - 33 screens of platform action on a 16K Vic 20! This means the game has far more to it than the 48K Spectrum's Manic Miner.

The screens are pretty good too. They're all very different, and although the first one's easy, they rapidly get hard.

Vic 20 owners haven't had too many quality platform games come their way, but now they'll be able to join the rest of the nation hopping, leaping and dodging in great style. I've no doubt this'll be at number one in the Vic charts for months.

I really enjoyed this game. The graphics may not be that fantastic but they rank pretty high by Vic standards.

What made the difference for me in The Perils Of Willy was the playability and the number of screens. The action was smooth and responsive, and the objectives were easy enough to keep me interested but tricky enough to keep me satisfied.

At last, at last - a game comparable to Manic Miner for the Vic. I loved the deadly ducks, dawgies and balloons which plague your way and the number of rooms is enough to make you jump for joy.

Willy himself is a little white character wearing what looks like a bowler hat and as he wanders along to the strains of Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway To Heaven', collecting notes, you can't help enjoying yourself.

So, perils or not, get out and buy it!