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The standard of games for the Beeb was set very early in its history by an implementation of a popular arcade game under the name of Planetoid. About nine months ago, a game called Zalaga was first seen. This was based upon an arcade game called Galaga. Since then, mighty forces have been at work devising a game that combines total originality with masterful programming; the result - Frak!

The basic concept in Frak is for you, who play the part of Trogg, to negotiate an ingenious complex of ladders, ropes, chains, rock ledges, logs and iron girders in the endless pursuit of that unattainable goal - the end of the game. There are three basic screen layouts, each of which features a different monster, and you have to collect all of the keys in order to complete the level. Each key collected gives a time bonus, but the available time is slowly ticking away. If you time reaches zero in the early stages you are not penalised, but later stages inflict a variety of mean effects upon poor Trogg.

There are gems to be collected for bonus points, and light bulbs for a 10 second time bonus. Your plight is also further hindered by daggers and balloons, and your only weapon against these, and the three monsters Scrubbly, Poglet and Hooter, is your faithful yoyo (yeah, a yoyo as a weapon!). With this amazingly versatile weapon you can achieve some astounding feats of self defence - even catching a Scrubbly and a dagger at the same time if you aim correctly. [This does require a considerable degree of dexterity - Ed]

The graphical depiction of the characters in the game is very detailed (the game's in Mode 1) and movement is on a pixel basis - not a byte basis. AS you move left and right, the screen scrolls with a delightfully smooth movement to accommodate your actions.

At first, Freak is merely a question of not being hasty, but as the game develops, it reveals itself to be a combination of both action and thought games. The later screen layouts require some advance planning before being attempted as there are a significant number of one-way traps, precise jumps that can trap the unwary is finding that his yoyo will not reach the Scrubbly that he is attempting to 'knock out' of play. When flinging (how else do you describe 'firing' a yoyo?!) your yoyo, you need to make sure that you utilise its full potential, or you will find a number of apparently insoluble problems.

As the game progresses, there are some delightful 'twists' and variations that will keep you in confusion for a long time. The high score table features three 'check characters' and these are for verification of the scores in the high score competition. Frak sets new standards for games on the Beeb, and I would recommend that any games player should definitely purchase this masterpiece of programming.