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Dragons are stupid creatures. OK, they're fine at rampaging, terrorising and most things of an evil bent, and they can become remarkably handy at barbecues. But when it comes to a dragon's real work, that of knuckling down and actually getting on with the job of casting dark shadows over a once peaceful land, they always seem to leave the job half-finished. Make one fatal mistake, if you will.

Let me explain. Once upon a time there was a peaceful country called Alurea. For 1000 years... etc. Anyway, the inevitable and probably well-deserved dragon invasion goes through the motions and kills everybody. Everybody except - and this is the incredible bit - the king's twin sons. Why?! Even the most turnip-brained, slow-witted Dragon should have spotted their obvious potential - these two textbook examples of superheroes in the making - a mile off. But no, realism is sacrficied for gameplot (but would you want it any other way?) and fifteen years later the twins have grown up.

And now - as you've no doubt guessed - they're on a mission. They have the help of a seagull. They wear primary colours in built-up areas. Together they are a whacking 205 lbs of unadulterated cute. And here they come...

I like cute games and I'm not scared to admit it (but probably only because I know I'm not alone). There always have been and (hopefully always will be) almost as many 'cuties' around as there are shoot-'em-ups - they're two of the longest-established game formulas around. So US Gold present Mega Twins, a colourful, magical and, well, cute - there's no getting around it - tale of the dynamic duo's adventure, and it's typical of the genre. Originally a moderately successful platform adventure coin-op from Capcom, your Amiga version sticks rigidly to the original plot and presentation, and throuogh the fantastic use of colour and sprite design successfully brings a very arcadey feel to the graphics and gameplay.

There are three introductory levels of action, and then six 'battle stages' in which the two cuties must hack, slash and hit-the-ALT-key-to-use-some-magic their way through what seems like 57 varieties of the cutest little baddies you ever did see. Even when the action hots up on screen, you'd be forgiven for mistaking the harrowing scenes of death and grimess for a Christmas party in a Toys-R-Us. Don't underestimate the cuteness here folks - these guys to menace and evil what Arnie is to raffia-work.

The first level is set in a forest and underground caverns, the second is underwater (our heroes provided with snorkels) and for the third bit our airborne heroes take to the sky. (Oh yes, and proving that there's a bit of Rolf Harris in everyone. I've just got to tell you to watch out for bit in the sky where the Twins are held aloft by birds in their hats - it's brilliant!) The baddies change each level, so when you're underwater you're fighting fish, when you're in the sky it's an assorted variety of leathered foes, and when in the forest - well, 'things with legs' should cover it. The Twins collect coins along the way - and power-ups from treasure chests - as they continue their inevitable and unstoppable progress from left to right.

OK, so you've got the plot. But what's it like then? Well, the most immediately striking attraction is the graphics. Everything is cannily designed with fantastic attention to detail. Not only do the backgrounds vary enormously, but the animation in front of them is tailored to match the surroundings. Our two heroes move incredibly smoothly, and display a remarkable repertoire of expressions and 'custom' movement. US Gold have been quoted as describing Mega Twins as "mischievous rather than cute", certainly you'll find yourself smiling at your screen long before wiping the sick off it. Wait until you're crisped by a dragon, or see yourself attempting to scramble up a cliff - Phil Cool would be proud of such facial contortions.

The real-gameplay hook is the two-player option though. Yes, there's something heart-warming about taking on baddies with a buddy. The race for the power-ups, the arguments over who'll guard the rear and who'll take the front - it's all here. The only crucial ingredient missing is the ability to kill your chum. But hey, it's time we all made an effort to be nice - this is 1991, after all.

The variation in gameplay as the Twins negotiate different terrain relieves what some may otherwise regard as the repetitive hack-slash-jump action. Ever heard of a game called Sonic The Hedgehog? Well, a lot of what made Sonic such a mega-hit on the Sega console can be found here. The humour, graphics, you could frame and give to your granny for Christmas and an addictive hook that will keep you coming back time after time.

Still, let's pick faults for a minute. For a start, at times there are too many baddies on screen. It's not something we'd normally complain about, and there's certainly no problem with slow-down, but the fighting does tend to degenerate into brawlish hacking. The swashbuckling babes could perhaps do with a faster elbow-action to cope - and at times sprite collision-detection is a little suspect - but on the whole what Mega Twins offers it does well.

In fact, that's the only real problem - what exactly does Mega Twins offer? The game design is unarguably both simple and dated. The variations in the gameplay (although well-executed) are all on the same theme, so it coul dbe said that a lack of depth will lead to little long-term appeal. It comes across as a very good conversion of a fairly limited arcade game.

Was that enough criticism? Good. Now I can tell you to forget all that rubbish about depth. (How much depth did PacMan or Space Invaders have, for goodness sake). Right, Mega Twins is cute. Mega Twins is a beautiful piece of programming. If cuties are what light up your particular Christmas Tree, then don't miss it.

Uppers: Cute, cuddly and quick. Ultra-smooth graphics complement an inventive game design based on a tried and tested formula. How can it fail?

Downers: Well, it could be viewed as a tad repetitive. There's always the argument that a coin-op game designed to provide a quick 20p-gobbling thrill was never intended to provide long-term amusement anyway.

Perhaps not as complete as Rodland, but nevertheless a great cute platform romp through beautiful scenery with plenty of variation. The two-player option adds loads, earning Mega Twins promotion from the tanks of the merely mediocre into being a recommended purchase for fans of the genre.