Great Intro Sentences of Our Time: "Terry was a small, green, eight-way rolling rubber ball." Another example of games programmers' fascination with balls, this - not to mention bad puns. Playing the part of Terry Ball (there goes the pun) for some reason or other you have to roll and bounce around some precarious platforms high above the earth in a quest for keys and magic crystals. There are (of course) Bad Insect Monsters and (naturally) Giant Rolling Blackballs who don't really have anything better to do than roll around (hence the name) and get in your way. These have to be bounced over - of failing that, crashed into. The latter course probably isn't a good idea, though, because it sends you sailing over the side with a surprised look on your face. (Balls have faces, didn't you know?)

Cloud Kingdoms might be a very good game if it wasn't for the control system. To be blunt, it's a bugger. Just as you get used to rolling about the platforms without falling off, along comes a blackball and you have to try to bounce over it without slipping off the other side.

Not only that, there are secret trapdoors which open without any warning at all and also send you to your doom. In fact, everything combines to make life hell, and playing the game is just a smidgen too difficult to be fun. Still, the animation and graphics are enjoyable (the rolling blackballs in particular) so you might like it, even if it's just to complete your collection of games with balls in them.