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Monty Mole is the Mickey Mouse of Gremlin Graphics. Apart from having the same initials they are both, in their own way, animated Superstars. Well, maybe that's stretching things a little, but Monty has played the starring role in no less than two C64 games - the V16 version is his third screen appearance.

Amateur sleuths among you will have already deduced from the title that Monty has escaped from prison - Scudmore prison, to be precise. For some unexplained reason, he is superfit - perhaps they still go in for rock breaking down the nick. Anyway, he must exploit his mighty muscles to the utmost and run, dodge and jump his way to freedom through all thirty screens of the game.

The final objective is to get to the docks in time to catch the Sealink ferry and make your way, via the murky English Channel, to some faraway place that doesn't have an extradition treaty (Panama sounds like a good bet these days).

This involves not only escaping the usual gremlins to be found in these sorts of games but collecting gold coins en route to finance Monty's life of luxury as a retired crook - commonly known as doing a Ronnie Biggs.

When Monty first appeared on the C64 (sighs of nostalgia) platform games weren't exactly the latest craze around. But the game was such an improvement over previous efforts that it was a joy to play. The C16 version, while not quite such a brilliant variation on the theme, is probably one of the best games of its kind on the C16.

Jason Perkinds has done an excellent job on the conversion and has succeeded in coaxing almost the impossible from this machine's humble little bundle of chips. But there are a few notable omissions: Rob Hubbard's brilliant music is notable by its absence, the graphically excellent transporters are missing and Monty no longer performs a cute little somersault whenever he jumps.

But, as they say, what you've never had you won't miss. And I can promise you, it you didn't get to see the C64 version, you'll have little to complain about with this one.

While we're on the subject of complaints, here's a few points that nit-picking reviewers like me take great pride in pointing out. In the Sewage Works, there is a wall that you can simply walk through. It doesn't really matter too much, except that it's a one-way wall and there's no going back once you're through it.

Not so much a complaint as a piece of advice is that there are certain pieces of gold temptingly positioned in dead ends. Once you've picked them up (you've guessed it) there's no getting out. But there is, I think, a way to get them.

If you're good enough, and it will take a little practice, collect enough gold medalions to net you 950 points. With your 19 pieces of gold on board, go in search of the elusive twentieth piece- the one stuck down a dead end. When you pick it up, you will find yourself magically transported through the wall to freedom on the other side.

My final criticism is that, again in comparison with the original, the gold is a little too easy to get hold - and you don't pay tax. Too often it's simply a case of walk in, pick it up and stroll off with it under your arm. Ned Kelly never had it so easy. In the C64 version it would take several hours of staring at some screens just to work out a viable plan of action and then as long again to carry it out successfully.

But it doesn't do to wallow in nostalgia and there is something to be said for games which don't require an Einstein to get past the first screen. And the game isn't easy in every respect. I played it for the best part of an evening (the part when you should be in the pub!) and although I amassed a fair few points on easy gold I couldn't find my way around all thirty screens. So even if you strike it rich there's still a challenge.

The screens I did manage to get a look at mostly featured some pretty deadly combinations of dangerous structures and bouncing beasties. In the house, the biggest danger is the drainpipes. These stick up out of the floor (usual bodged plumbing job) and you must jump from the top of one to another with pixel-perfect accuracy if you want to stay alive.

The escape tunnel is full of dead ends, but there are plenty of ropes, ladders and trellises to help you out of tight spots. The sewage works is a doddle, just crawl around the piping and grab that gold. Although the cassette insert shows a screenshot of The Treestump (it looked pretty spectacular) I couldn't actually find it anywhere - maybe if I played Monty for a few months I'll get there.

There are certain features that are common to many of the screens. For example, a perennial problem are the huge pillars of steel that come slamming down on your head. They were much easier on the C64 version because they came down at regular intervals - on the 16 the'yre random so you can't time your run!

One more point, the C64 version had a cheat mode on it, you had to type "i want to cheat" on the high score table. The C16 version doesn't give high scores, so I couldn't try it. Anyone out there found another way of cheating? Answers on a moleskin to Play To Win and no doubt you'll find yourself with some extra spending money.

If you've got seven sobs to spare (They don't need to be gold), I'd have no hesitation in recommending you to spend it on this game. It has to be the definitive C16 platform game released so far, but how about a change?