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Pixel Pete is a cute, chubby penguin who finds himself in a spot of bother. Unwanted denizens have invaded his homeland, so it's time to grab all his cases and get out of Dodge. Iceblox Plus started life on the Sony Ericsson phone series before being ported to other phone systems, the Commodore 64 and then the Atari ST. Programmer Karl Kornell was responsible for such C64 budget titles as Clean Up Service, Fruity and Fungus, so this is a welcome return to his breadbin origins.

To complete each level, Pete must waddle around and collect all the coins contained within the ice, although quite what he needs money for is unclear and not explained. Perhaps he's useless at catching his food and thus spends the money down the local frozen food store. Mmm prawn rings, that's why penguins go to Iceland. Thankfully, just touching the blocks in question breaks them open and transports the coins magically to his pockets. Um, do penguins even have pockets?

Hunting him down are several fire-based enemies, the first iteration being slow-moving flames, but after a few levels' progress these become much faster flame-wheels of death. Thankfully they can be defeated, albeit only temporarily, by pushing an ice block into them - there is a short delay before the enemy respawns. Combo kills can also be racked up for additional points. It is all very Pengo inspired. Each level is played against the clock, and remaining time forms a bonus towards your score. How high can you score?

I always enjoyed a bit of Pengo in the arcade, although this iteration is minus the Popcorn, and introduces dangerous fire enemies instead of Snobees. The graphics are truly endearingly cute (and the pseudo-3D angle does not cause any issues regarding penguin placement), likewise the soundtrack that accompanies the action.

The game starts a little too slow and takes several levels before any one of them becomes a challenge to complete. This is due in part to only having to collect coins while not eliminating the opponents. However, that's a minor blemish and you can always use it as a way to score-boost in the early stages. Programmer Karl Hornell was known for his endearing budget titles through Players in tthe 1980s, and overall this wouldn't have been out of place standing alongside them.

This is a nice and simple little game - nothing new but a fun Pengo variant done well. The mechanics are simple enough: shove blocks around; break 'em; collect the coins. It looks great while you do it though. The backdrops are probably the best aspect, detailed, very colourful and varied - I particularly liked the Lego level.

Pete is cute, waddling around to the jolly tune but methinks he had one fish-fish meal too many beforehand as it's tricky to keep ahead of the later opponents hot on his tail. Nothing unfair, but there is a challenge. It's a nice distraction of a game for a while and one to dip into anytime, just expect more of an ice-breaker than ground-breaker.

Karl Hornell's games have always been big, bold, cute and colourful - and Iceblox Plus is no exception. The main character is great, and the backgrounds are vibrant and lovely to look at.

Unfortunately, the game is very much a variant of the ancient arcade game Pengo - I wasn't much of a fan of it in 1982, let alone now. Still, I concede that this is a very well done version which looks and sounds good and plays well. If shoving ice cubes around screen after screen is your idea of relaxing summer fun, Iceblox Plus will fit the bill nicely. I'd rather chuck them into a tall umbrella-wearing drink.

Presentation 75%
A nice attract mode and a high-score table, but no options to speak of.

Graphics 84%
Bold, bright and colourful, very nice.

Sound 72%
A jolly little tune can be swapped for sound FX at the press of the Fire button.

Hookability 74%
A tried-and-tested formula, which makes it easy enough to get into.

Lastability 63%
Pretty graphics can only mask the old gameplay for so long.

Overall 70%
A successful reworking of an old and dated arcade game.