Well, it's taken 37 years but the Spectrum finally has its conversion of the classic Mr Do! coin-op. And what a conversion it is! True that there was already a clone of the famous 1982 arcade for our platform, the excellent Farmer Jack In Harvest Havoc! by Bob Smith and Lee DuCaine released in 2006, but an "official" version was still missing.

The aim of the game is known: the main character must collect all the cherries on the screen to move on to the next one. While moving, he digs tunnels exposing himself to the danger of being chased by monsters whose touch makes him lose a life.

To defend yourself, you have a sphere of energy to throw at enemies at your disposal, which however takes some time before recharging, or you can drop apples on them. A level can also be completed by collecting all the letters of the "EXTRA" word. Monsters come out from the centre of the screen, indicated by a prize - a slice of cake, an ice cream etc. - which, if collected, brings up the Alpha Monster and its four henchmen. These cannot be hit by the sphere and can also eat the apples that are thrown at them. Once you have passed the thirtieth screen, the game starts again from the beginning.

This conversion of the historic arcade Universal is an authentic exercise in style: in addition to being faithful even in the details - the intermission animations also appear every three levels - the graphical and sound realization is truly superb. Sprites move smoothly and "colour clash" is almost absent. In particular, on Spectrums equipped with AY sound chips you can hear music (including the famous "Can Can" by Jacques Offenbach, played when you pick the cherries) and sound effects almost identical to the original.

In addition to that, the sheer playability of the coin-op has also been kept intact. There is nothing more to say: Mr Do! for the Spectrum made us wait for a long time, but it was definitely worth it.