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Move over Manga, here comes Rodland. It's more Japanese than sushi, even cuter than girly oriental pop singers and more than a tad playable. Rodland is a platformer that belongs there on the shelf, right next to your video of Akira and your collection of bonsai [Okay, Clur, that's enough, we get the picture - Ed]

Tam and Rit's Mum has been kidnapped by a ginormous bird and is being held capive in an incredibly tall tower. The first thing that any average teenager would do faced with this situation would be to arrange a series of all night parties - rescuing the old biddy would only cross their minds when they don't get their breakfast in bed three days in a row. But Tam and Rit are different. They love their mummy in the way that only Kids in American soaps usually do (isn't it a shame how Westernised the Japanese are getting?) and so they start off on an adventure they will never forget.

The route to the tower is guarded by a host of cuddly beasties, all out to get the kids. You can play either of the two sprogs, or you can get your mate to join in and play the other. In two-player, co-operation is the name of the game (well er, the subtitle, at least - it's still called Rodland actually), because if you kill your mate he'll just go and nick all your continues when he gets back into the fray...

The game works much along the same lines as Bubble Bobble, you've got a screen packed with enemy-infested platforms which you have to clear to get on to the next level. The platforms appear to be made out of Gro-Bags with pretty pink flowers sprouting from them.

You can just kill all the nasties on a level to move on to the next one if you want, but only a girly wuss would do that that. Because, you see, if you collect all flowers before you've killed all the baddies, you get a chance to get an extra life. All the nasties turn pink for a while and if you manage to kill 'em while they're pink you'll get a letter token. Collect all the letters to spell EXTRA and some poxy-looking fairy whatsit appears and gives you an extra life.

"Hang on a minute - why's it called Rodland?" [Who said that? - Ed]

A-ha, I'm glad you asked that. [Nobody did - you just wrote it yourself - Ed]

The name comes from the rods that Tam and Rit use to dispose of their enemies. Okay, an UZI carbine might be more practical, but I'm telling you killing has never been more fun! When you're in range of a baddie tap the Fire button on your joystick to activate the rod's tractor beam to trap him. Now, if you repeatedly press Fire you'll fling the baddie from side-to-side over your head, bashing him viciously on the ground until he's completely pulverised. Alternatively, you can just swing him over your head once to move him out of your way if you don't want him dead just yet.

Once you've overcome the nauseating cuteness the inherent violence shines through, and that's when you really begin to enjoy yourself. The first few levels ease you into the gameplay and then wham! - you're thrown into the action big time and there no room for any more mistakes.

The only major downer about Rodland is that it's too easy. It's possible to play all 32 levels without having to pick up any bonuses. So, once you've got it licked (which won't take long) it's really up to you whether you want to make the game a bit more challenging by going for the flowers and seeing how many lives you can finish the game with. The music's also just on the wrong side of irritating, but when you're playing you'll get so involved that you won't care about the noise coming from your C64. Or any noise for that matter. Dannii Minogue could play in a gig in your bedroom and you wouldn't even notice.

Graphics 87%
Colourful and detailed, if a bit sparse - at least you can see what you're doing.

Sound 64%
Tedious cutesy tune that you'll have to turn down after a while.

Playability 85%
Instantly addictive in exactly the way that Eldorado isn't.

Lastability 66%
It's a tad too easy so you'll probably finish it within day or two.

Overall 89%