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With Monty Mole consigned to the backburner for a moment, Andy Johns (Bubblesoft) has put his well-used copy of AGD to excellent use again and released a rather slimy protagonist onto the platforms of Ooze.

The task ahead is to guide an amoeba blob through a maze of pipework, conveyors and many deadly mechanical obstacles. These horrors include animated sparks of electricity, sharp-edged mechanisms and deadly plumes of green gas - while you're searching for the key that can enable access to the next section of the perilous journey.

Game controls are simple and since the blob is globule of slime lacking any appendages, no shooting is involved, and the game's objective is to find a route through the maze and avoid dangerous objects as you do so. Ooze itself can jump up to cling under surfaces, while the jump button reverses gravity so the blob can 'drop' from floor to ceiling to cling under surfaces and then back again. In this way, it's possible to 'leap' up and hide from a passing enemy until it's gone on its way.

This title has a bit more up its sleeve than pretty graphics and addictive, entertaining gameplay. Aurally, Andy has really pushed the baot out with Ooze, securing the services of none other than Miguel/CPU and Rayden/Vitali for the intro tune and in-game music respectively, giving the AY chip (and your ears) a real treat.

In short (in my humble opinion) Ooze is a future classic. From the classy title screen onwards, this is a Spectrum platformer of the highest order, with well thought out level design filled with gorgeous clear graphics, and a well animated main character, baddies and obstacles. Easily as good as some of the most fondly remembered from back in the day.

Ooze makes for a playable exploratory platformer, and I love the ability to reverse gravity to get around. Rooms which seem difficult or impassable suddenly change entirely when you think about running across the ceiling instead of the floor.

The scenic graphics are excellent, showing great use of colour. Counting against it, it's another AGD game where background detail is too easily confused with platforms or obstructions, or just innocent looking details that turn out to be deadly. The music playing throughout the game is annoyingly repetitive, with seemingly no way of shutting it off. Play in silence, though, and you're treated to a fun and slickly presented game that keeps you busy just exploring.

Controls keys: O, P, SPACE
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair
Use of colour: Subtle use of each screen - works well
Graphics: Detailed, with nice little touches, like fumes escaping from pipes
Sound: Beat bop type 128K menu tune, tense 128K in-game music
General rating: An enjoyable adventure