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You've heard the melody, read the book, seen the movie, eaten the reviews in sheer desperation and, just when you thought it was remotely safe to utter the word 'bad' in normal conversation again - sitting on your lap is US Gold's home computer version of Moon walker "as endorsed by the Superstar himself".

Well, now you've got it, load up and give it a whirl. It might not be quite as bad (no pun intended) as you thought. Surprisingly enough, it isn't.

As you may well imagine, with Mr Jackson's name behind the game, it is a glossy, well-turned-out production with gimmicks aplenty taken from the original film set which all come together in the form of a four-part chase 'thriller' (Oh dear, dear).

But wait for it. Before you even get a chance to make a grab for the joystick, the cassette loading sequence will give you a sneak preview of the goodies in store as Michael Jackson's feet strut their funky stuff across a spotlit dancefloor.

In fact, this is one of the game's more infuriating points. It takes almost as long to load, taking in all the intro bumph and level load-as-you-go system, as it does to play.

But, all this aside, once you reach the starting blocks, racing around the maze on level one is a pleasure with the joystick. The first objective is to find the various sections of a rabbit costume which will enable you to slope off in disguise to the next stage on a concealed motorcycle. Rather unorthodox, you might think, but then, it is Michael Jackson after all.

Lying in wait to ambush you in your quest are such ghoulish adversaries as granny and her grandson, the cowboys on horseback, the beefy Biff brothers and last, but by no means least, some fiendish Japanese tourists.

In line with Mr Jackson's glitzy pop career, instead of losing a life each time you are outwitted by a baddie, they rob you of one of your precious platinum discs.

Starting off with the grand total of twenty, your discs are meant to last throughout all four levels. A handy radar screen helps to guide you through these preliminary stages and good information displays are provided throughout the slick set changes (loading delays omitted). In the higher levels, you actually get your hands on a gun, so make the most of it and get your own back on the goons who have been chasing you around.

At the end of the day, Moonwalker isn't a bad little mover. The game is well-designed with high quality graphics, but there is one major drawback. At the risk of bringing the wrath of avid Jackson fans onto myself, I would urge all non-believers to play the game with the sound off. It actually is 'bad'.