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Ah, I remember that classic game of Connect 4. Trying my hardest to block your opponent's moves only to discover later on that I had inadvertently won myself. Of course I was so intensely blocking the other player's moves that I hadn't noticed and the other player wouldn't let on. Great days.

Connect 4 is a classic two player game where they took turns to place a coloured disc (one player blue, the other red) down a grid. The object of the game was to get a row of four matching colour discs in a row, hence "Connect 4". You tried to achieve this while at the same time blocking your opponent's attempts at getting a connect 4. A game of tactical decisions and quick thinking.

What we have here is basically the computer game version of Connect 4. Some decent music introduces you to the main menu where you can choose to play against a second player or the computer. However, a bug prevents you from choosing the computer opponent. Tch, so it's a good start.

Columns on the grid are numbered from one to nine with an extra zero column. Press the relevant number on the keyboard and one of your coloured discs will fall down that corresponding column. Then it's the turn of your opponent to make their move, and so on until one of the players gets a connect 4, or it ends in a stalemate. As with Connect 4, tactics plays a part throughout. Will you play for a win, defend against the opponent or both.

The cartoon style graphics are well done, and sound effects are decent. It's just a shame that the bug prevents selecting a computer opponent. It is a flawed game and as such doesn't quite gain the ratings that it could have, which is a shame as the potential for a good game is here.

I didn't care much for the original game at all. This CPC version doesn't try and make anything out of the computer game's potential. When the programmer couldn't be bothered to even do a title screen then you know something's wrong. The graphics are fine, it's the lack of options that worries me. This means that there's not much of a challenge here. Then there's the obvious bug that is just carelessness. You might play this game once or twice but will never return to it again.

Win against a human opponent

Graphics 73%
P. Very colourful.

Sound 71%
P. Nice music on the menu screen.

Grab Factor 68%
P. You may play it for nostalgia or curiosity.

Staying Power 45%
N. Bugged CPU option.
N. Not much to come back to.

Overall 54%
Another game that could have been good, with a little more time spent on correcting the minor issues. As it is though it's a bugged game with a short lifespan.