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Only last month we told you of a string of games coming from new Italian software house Idea. The first, Moonshadow, wasn't half bad. This month we put Lupo Alberto to the test and find that... it's not half bad; it's totally bad.

The plot involves Lupo the wolf who's desperate to do a bit of lovey-dovey stuff with his woman (well, chicken). The game follows his exploits in trying to find a suitable place for them to suck face. The quest takes Lupo through caves, African villages, desert islands and sewer systems, all to no avail. The aim is to traverse these regions and return to your own home. You have then finished the game. Style-wise, Idea have tried to come up with a bit of a Super Mario Bros. clone but, for reasons that will become apparent, they've failed miserably.

Each level contains platforms dependent on the scenario. You can stand on rocks and logs in the outdoor levels, ladders and bricks in the sewer system, roofs in the village, and so on.

Throughout each level, arrow signs point the way you're supposed to go. But taken too literally they often lead to instant death on a spikey trap, so venture carefully.

As you move through the landscape the background scrolls in one of four directions, depending on which way you're travelling. This is one of the few redeeming features of the game: it's not just a tedious horizontal scroller [More of a tedious four-way scroller then - Ed]. There's a whole host of death-dealing nasties in each level but unfortunately the only way they differ is in their appearance. They all move in pretty much the same way and can be killed by leaping on their heads.

Some of the larger beasts are nicely detailed, but that's about it. Another downer is that sprites often become corrupted and you get a headless moose body, or worse still a bodyless moose head. Whoops.

As for collectibles, there's not much worth mentioning. Sometimes, when you pass a bush or head-butt a platform, fruity items materialise which you can collect these for extra points. Like, wow.

Occasionally - and it is only very occasionally - you can pick up a floating boxing glove which provides you with limited firepower. The trouble is that the screen only scrolls when Lupo is a few inches from its edge, leaving you almost no warning of oncoming opponents. You're killed all too quickly and the boxing glove is lost.

The graphics are colourful but crude and tend to glitch badly. The opponents are bland and the action repetitive: the last level has no more elaborate traps than the first, there's just more happening on-screen. This would have made a just-above-average budget game, but as a full pricer it's a bit of a disaster - a sheep in wolf's clothing if you like.

1. One of the few Super Mario Bros. clones around
2. Its cartoon theme and simplicity could appeal to younger gamers
3. Painless multiload, even on tape

1. Repetitive levels with only minor graphical differences
2. Most of the monsters move in a similar way. No variety in challenge.
3. The backdrops and sprites are generally bland and indistinct.
4. No surprises: get from A to B and that's it!
5. The only power-up is the boxing glove and that's weedy.
6. More minus points for the hideous glitching both of sprites and background.