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Automata, the software house which originally produced this title, seem to have had no luck with it at all. Before its release on the Spectrum over a year ago, it was trumpeted as an entirely new development in home entertainment, because the action on screen is synchronised to a separate recorded stereo soundtrack (played through an ordinary audio cassette player).

A cast of stars including Jon Pertwee, Ian Dury and Frankie Howerd were paid to provide the voices which accompany Mel Croucher's strange musical creation. All of which led to a great deal of publicity and media interest.

Despite this, the title bombed, leading Automata to make bitter accusations against certain distributors for refusing to take the product. An attempt to release it on the C64 back in the spring of 1985 also evidently failed to take off. So it is strange, to say the least, that Electric Dreams now think they can make a go of it.

The program is as much a curious piece of philosophy as anything else. It puts you in the role of a being developing from conception (yes, literally - in one section you have to guide a sperm cell toward an egg while listening to Ian Dury saying "I'm a fertilising agent!") through to the grave, the idea being to nourish and preserve yourself as much so as to maintain a high percentage life-score [Heavy! - Ed].

The audio cassette lasts about 30 minutes each side, and while it is playing, the program progresses through about thirteen different sections, each a sort of mini-game in its own right.

For example, while listening to Donna Bailey crooning "I am Machine, I have always been" (so deep, so meaningful), you have to nourish the eggs which are supposedly incubating in the heart of the machine by moving a cursor around the screen keeping them spinning. In another section, you have to jump whenever commanded by a voice on the tape - so long as you've synchronised it correctly with the start of the program, this should coincide with the appearance of obstacles to be leaped over.

This brings us to the main flaw with this package - the gameplay just isn't all that interesting. The fact is, that severe restrictions are placed by the need for the action to continue in time with the tape regardless of what you do.

Having said that, the package is, without question very original. And there is much to admire in parts of the programming, including some excellent graphics (although only in places).

The soundtrack too, although ridiculously pretentious as far as the philosophy is concerned, is interesting and enjoyable in its own way. All the musical effects were created by Mel Croucher using various synthesizers, guitars and percussion. The results won't be to everyone's taste, but they're certainly atmospheric and at times almost hypnotic.

But we're still left with the fatal flaw. Most people, having played through this, a couple times aren't, I think, going to return to it. It's an interesting experience, but only as a one-off.