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Jet Set 40-40 is not a new game but a redesign of Matthew Smith's original Jet Set Willy game from 1984. As much as this game is just more of the same, there are enough differences in the challenge to feel fresh and once again spend some agonisingly frustrating hours exploring the mansion.

The original Jet Set Willy game featured Miner Willy who was desperate to go to bed after a big party but was prevented from doing so by the immovable housekeeper Maria until he tidied up a huge array of items spread across 61 rooms throughout the mansion. The remake is set over only 40 rooms but this time there is an additional challenge. As you collect sets of items the difficulty of each room escalates with more enemies and new items placed in more difficult to reach areas. This breathes new life into the old classic and merits a full playthrough if your nerves (or temper) can take it. All the wonderful pixel perfect precision platforming is there in all its glory and the rooms of the house are instantly recognisable and familiar from the original.

The usual controls are in effect with left, right and jump. There's no dash, pick up item or attack buttons, you simply avoid all obstacles and collect any items on the screen. Touching an enemy results in instant death as does falling from even a medium height so you'll become used dying a lot! The familiar sight of the boot descending to signal 'Game Over' will appear after you lose your sixth life. Although six lives seems a lot, it is nowhere near enough for anyone outside the best of Jet Set players and you will soon find them disappearing in a matter of minutes. The music in the game is jolly and entertaining in the typical 8 bit renditions of familiar classical music.

The in-game sound again matches that of the original and is instantly recognisable. The game requires memorisation of each screen in order to traverse it in one piece and even then the slightest of missed timing will result in the loss of a life. However, you are always aware of what went wrong and approach the screen again with a new found determination to get it right this time. There's a fair amount of problem solving, a pinch of trial and error a handful of skill and a hefty load of luck required but they all come together to create a wonderful masterpiece that you just can't get enough of.

It's been years since a game has kept me up all night but the challenge of collecting every item, mixed with the nostalgia overload from the original game was just a concoction I couldn't resist. I can't think of a better sequel to compare it to, than perhaps Super Mario Brothers: The Lost Levels. You've developed your skills on the first game but now here's a real hardcore, rock solid challenge to see just how good you are. It's not just a 'One more go' game, but a dozen more goes and then some.

Everything that made the original Jet Set Willy a timeless classic is here and the chance to experience it all again under a different guise is very welcome. The platforming (although difficult at times) is precise and fair. The game is immediately enjoyable and the learning curve is well designed.

Having the choice of where to start the game from the options menu lets you quickly become familiar with the layout of the house The option to make the game easier at the start is a welcome feature.

Sometimes you can get caught in a loop and lose all of your lives in one go as you are dropped to your death over and over again. Although the 40 levels are challenging and it is by no means an easy game I'd have loved the 61 levels of the original if not some additional ones too. Perhaps I'm just being greedy!

Although the game is a re-design so a lot of what I'm scoring here is based on the hard work of Matthew Smith's coding for the original, there are still enough differences and changes in the gameplay for this to stand on its own two feet and be judged as a game in its own right. I had an absolute blast playing through every challenge of every room. I laughed, I cried, I screamed in frustration and I emerged at the end with an enormous sense of achievement and joy. If you have any nostalgia for Jet Set Willy and Manic Miner you won't be disappointed and if you are new to the games then you are in for an extremely frustrating treat!