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When Professor Pott's time machine is bombed by terrorists, the resulting warp hole created by the blast sends him back 10,000,000 years into the past. Using four time pods that he happened to be carrying at the time of the explosion, he must return to the future and stop the bomb from exploding.

Sounds straightforward enough, but it's not. The warp hole has upset five vital periods of time, and these must be fixed by the Prof before he can return to his own time.

Each era is made up of five flick-screens, and the Prof must complete certain tasks in each zone by picking up and dropping items in the correct places, so that he is able to move forward in time. For example, picking up boulders and putting them over three volcanoes in the Prehistoric time has the effect of cooling the earth and creating the Ice Age. But keeping the future intact means constantly returning to the past to keep natural forces from undoing your work.

Throughout history, there are dangers to avoid, such as Yetis, marauding medieval soldiers, swamps and deep rivers which drain Prof's energy, ultimately leading to the loss of one of his three lives.

It's a tough job, but as we already know, getting back to the future is no easy task.

Vivid Images' first game, Hammerfist, was great and I'm glad to say that their second is equally good. It's an odd sort of arcade adventure which involves getting your brain around some intriguing puzzles as you struggle to create five time zones.

Some of the problems seem quite obscure at first, but once you get your mind attuned to the programmer's devious way of thinking, you find yourself making headway. The graphics are very good indeed, with a great introduction sequence, some very colourful backdrops and nicely detailed sprites.

Sound is also good, with decent tunes and spot effects adding to the game's appeal. If you're after a challenging and highly addictive arcade adventure, warp down to your local software shop and check out Time Machine.

Looks and plays almost identically to the Amiga, and is therefore very highly recommended.