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What the world needs right now is a small, slightly cute character, whose only pleasure in life is chasing around mazes in order to get to some glittering gems. Wa-hey! Here comes Muzzy...

Try your best not to be put off by the name; Muzzy conjures up tiredness, dulled thinking, maybe even hangovers. It also sounds very much like a kiddie character. Come to think of it, isn't that rabbit thing that teaches kids French from a video called Muzzy? Perhaps so.

But hey, enough procrastinating over nomenclature. Muzzy is a series of puzzles. Each one is set on just one screen, and although the puzzles might be different, the goal is always the same. You must guide the little chap to a number of gems which glitter enticingly.

So what's stopping you? It varies greatly. Sometimes you must simply use your joystick skills to outrun the baddies which are chasing you. This is like a mini-arcade game, and if your hands weren't otherwise occupied, you'd be biting your nails as the pixel gap between you and the evil, er, things is eaten up.

Other scenarios have you replicated on the screen, with all the Muzzies responding to your movements. The skill here is to work out which Muzzy is the real one. It's possible to do, but at some point you must take a risk, and if you've guessed incorrectly, something nasty happens and you lose a life.

In fact, the vast majority of the puzzles can be solved by logic and brain-power, coupled with the merest hint of precognitive extra-sensory perception. Possess these assets and you won't have a problem. But if you're stuck without the ESP, you'll probably find the game much more taxing and a lot more rewarding.

Of course, you're sitting back and thinking, "Ha! I'm a complete deity of the puzzling world, me. There's nothing I can't solve given time, an HB and the back of an envelope!" But having enough time is the problem. There's also a not-quite-generous-enough time limit for each of the levels. This translates to a time-bonus if you are good at Muzzy, but for the most part it's restrictive, and certainly makes the game more exciting. As well as annoying.

This is where the criticisms start. Cute he may be, but Muzzy is rather titchy, and there are times when you need him to move in certain directions, and the little swine just doesn't want to. A combination of clicking the Fire button and shoving the stick is needed to get Muzzy to destroy or push obstacles, but sometimes it takes ages to get it just right. Poor programming or inept joystick-handling? Well, here's one hasty vote for poor programming.

But come on. Stop shaking your head at Muzzy. What do you expect for £5.99? Formula One GP? Muzzy is fine; if you like solving puzzles and using your mind as well as your reflexes, give it a go. OK, so you might not be up all night playing it, but you won't be sleepless with worry over how much dosh you've just spent.

1. Cheap to the point of being a real bargain.
2. Lots of puzzly fun in bite-sized chunks.
3. Password system saves restart heartache.

1. Muzzy isn't as controllable as he should be.
2. Graphics are small and fiddly at times.