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Titan is a futuristic spectator sport that's all the rage in Vegapolis (a city built on the profits of the meat-free hamburger, by any chance?). It involves guiding a power ball across artificial worlds by bouncing it off walls and up corridors with a magnetic bat. You are the bat and thankfully, as this can be a very long game, the bat gets nine lives (meeeow). The game is played by hitting and destroying cubes with the ball in an Arkanoid (AA 22, 88%) fashion, a process complicated by the presence of the death icons, whose sole aim in life (death?) is to stop you completing all the levels and claiming the 1,000 Kronors prize (which doesn't sound a lot for what you have to go through).

The next level is reached when all these cubes have been destroyed and you are transported to the next, totally different environment. Some levels feature boosters winch speed you across the screen; others, walls that can be built up to trap the power ball in the same area as the cubes - and many other weird and wonderful tricks and traps.

Titan deserves some kind of award for its brilliantly executed graphics. Strong bold colours are combined together for a striking games screen with just the right amount of shadowing to give depth without confusing. The scrolling is superbly swift and smooth - and since each level is about six screens square, speed is needed if you are to have any chance of catching your balls.

The introduction to Titan casually announces that there are eighty levels to complete and that you have nine lives in which to do it, with no other constraints such as time limits per level. The task seems, if not easy, then at least achievable with only nine levels to complete per life. A bit of practice and it will be sussed; no hassle at all.

Indeed the first three levels bear this out, with not a death icon in sight; it's more a matter of co-ordination and timing than anything. Then, and only then, do the surprises start. The first is a rather neat little skull and crossbones. These horrible items are sometimes just debris there to block your path, and sometimes they're there to kill you. On the whole, staying well away seems a pretty good bet. Yet you become so used to charging around the screen like a mad thing that an accidental collision with one of the skulls becomes unavoidable. Titan life one, RIP.

One major problem/irritation (apart from getting wiped out and having to start the entire level again), is the annoying problem of having to clear up every block before you can progress to the next stage. This can take positively ages. Then there is also the problem set by some levels where it's possible to get blocked off from the ball or from the cubes and the level is therefore impossible to finish. At this moment of hair-tugging frustration you are, however, given a cop out clause: suicide! Not only is it painless, but it saves buying a new monitor after you've punched it for being such a pain in the chair department.

Therein lies the rub, for while you're playing this aggravation makes you want to reach for the plug, but then the "one last go" syndrome drags you back again and again until you are a jibbering, mumbling wreck obsessed with level 56. This could cost you more than you think, as say on average at five minutes per level, if you allow for mistakes, that's six hours of gameplay, even without breaks to eat, walk about, feed the goldfish or kick the cat. If you ever finished it in one sitting, you'd need a medal (and professional help).

So Titan has its frustrating side. On the other hand, it can also be crushingly dull at times, because on your way to higher levels it is necessary to mop up all the earlier ones before advancement is possible. So there is a lot of tedious mucking around (in hyperspace!) before the business of getting to a new section and more block bopping. While each level is sufficiently tricky to be interesting enough on the first few visits, play it repeatedly and the amusement rapidly turns to annoyance.

Paradoxically, Titan's frustrating nature is its strongest suit. It's a good concept, well presented and with some truly awe-inspiring graphic work backed up with good sound effects - though some music would have helped soothe away the boring mopping up sections. The visual pyrotechnics and almost indefinite game length guarantees that Titan will have you playing time and time again until your joystick can take no more, and the frustration drives you screaming from the room, swearing to find those Titus programmers and show them a real death icon.

50,000 points

Titan looks absolutely stunning, and on that score alone, it deserves your immediate attention. And, like many of the old classics, it's a really simple plot that's just addictive enough to drive you completely potty.

This game is dangerous. You won't want to repeat all the screens you've already done; but you'll be so desperate to get further that you'll play them anyway, hating yourself for doing so. If you have anything else to do - homework, housework or any other kind of work - for heavens sake don't promise yourself "just one game". Two hours later you'll be still there, wishing you could stop...

Excellent - perhaps even better!

Graphics 91% P. Magnificent colour and precision. N. Overwhelming at speed.

Sonics 39% N. Effects are fine - where's the tunes?

Grab Factor 59% N. Not an instant thriller...

Staying Power 84% P. but it gets to be a habit.

Overall 76% P. Frighteningly addictive.