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A highly original game where you must guide Merton the maintenance man through 'hours' of turning off valves in a factory. If you don't turn them off, you get balloons that fill up and float gracefully to the top of the screen and mutate into nasty little gremlins.

These baddies - don't be fooled by their 'innocent toy' acts - will hop around the platforms and six pistons where you may jump out and nab 'em.

To make life difficult, the overweight Hefty Hilda regularly appears and turns the valves back on. There are bonus phases (called 'Safety Checks'), an increasing number of Hildas and gremlins, and changing arrangements of platforms to keep up the interest.

The display is really just a side-on view but there is just a hint of 3D on the platforms. Merton has to run along the platforms, jump over Hilda and the other deadly nasties, and super-bounce onto higher levels.

A game with a good tune at the beginning of each 'hour' (level). There is a time limit on the game so be quick to get those gremlins!

Animation is smooth and the sound effects are continuous without being off-putting. Pity there's no music-as-you-play which I do enjoy.

It's a little awkward to bounce onto higher levels at times. Detail of the graphics is only reasonable but it does not need to be superb to be an entertaining and pleasant game.

One of the better new releases from Activision but, surprisingly, the loading of this game is around seven minutes. So it would benefit from a faster loading system. However, I think it's neat, well presented and with enough different variations to be worth the rather lengthy initial wait.

You'll never want to see another toy again after this game! It's very simple, yet very addictive. My complaint is that the music could be much better.

The toys look so lovable at first, it seems a shame to have to finish them off! But after they have finished you off a few times, you won't mind so much.

There is no doubt that this game is bizarre - why balloons, indeed? Despite this, it is a fairly playable game with some interesting graphics.

I didn't think so much of the sound, but when Activision do set the registers, and SID echoes forth a tune, everyone is happy.

Toy Bizarre did not hold my attention for long. Technically it may be good - it's just not addictive enough.

The title is a clever play on words but the game is not bizarre enough to hide its platform scenario. Though the original idea of using booster pads to stop your adversaries is one of the best. There's frenetic action as you chase around the screen trying to keep everything under control.