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It's nice to see software that doesn't involve killing anything that moves. Now Tetris, the famous Russian puzzler, has started a whole flood of games for the 90's.

Klax appears to be a hybrid version of Connect Four and involves catching different coloured tiles which slide down a ramp and dropping them into a grid to form lines (or Klax's) of three or more. Diagonal lines score more points, as do lines of more than three tiles. 'Wild' tiles can be used as any colour and allow two lines to be linked.

The idea may sound simple but it doesn't take long before your paddle (the thing you catch tiles in) fills up and new tiles start dropping out of reach. Three lives are awarded at the start of each game and a dropped tile counts as one life lost. If you can't use the tiles in your paddle, you can always flip them back up the ramp, but they always fall back down, causing even more panic.

Graphics in Klax are in Mode 5 and because of the restriction in colours, it can be difficult to distinguish tiles from the background. Perhaps a Sideways RAM version that worked in Mode 2 would have been easier. Aside from that, the graphics suffice under the circumstances and don't really detract from the overall game. Sound is minimal yet functional.

Klax certainly scores in the originality stakes and is definitely one of those 'one-more-go' type of games. Thoroughly recommended for those who prefer speed, addiction and a (non-violent) challenge. An Archimedes version is rumoured to be in production with all the features of the 16-bit versions, including doubles for two players. Thank you Domark for stepping out where others fear to tread!