The object of this game is to score points by changing the colour of cubes in a pyramid. To do this you have to hop Q-Bert from cube while avoiding "nasties" who try to stop him.

Each time a whole pyramid is changed to the destination colour, you will proceed to a new pyramid or round. There are nine game levels in all with four rounds per level.

Q-Bert is moved from cube to cube, only in the diagonal directions, by the use of a joystick.

You will start the game with seven Q-Berts, the first one appears on the top cube and the number of Q-Berts left is shown on the left of the screen. The destination colour, the colour that Q-Bert has to change the cubes to, is also shown on the left.

If Q-Bert jumps off the sides or the bottom of the pyramid, he falls and that Q-Bert is lost. You will hear an explosion signifying that he is dead. The next Q-Bert appears on the top cube, ready for you to try again.

Q-Bert has five enemies. Red Ball can squash him if Q-Bert does not get out of his path. Purple Ball holds the same danger, but when he reaches the bottom of the pyramid, he hatches Coily the Snake. Coily can them follow Q-Bert and if he catches him, Q-Bert dies. The best way Q-Bert can avoid being killed is to hop onto a flying disc. There is an exit cube within the pyramid and if Q-Bert hops onto it and then boards a disc it takes him to the top of the pyramid. As Coily blindly follows Q-Bert he falls off the side of the pyramid because the disc is no longer there. The number of discs and where they are placed will differ depending on the game level and round.

Wrongway can also kill Q-Bert. Wrongway travels sideways and upwards in the lower part of the pyramid.

Slick can not catch Q-Bert, but he can change the cubes back to their original colour, so that Q-Bert has to retrace his steps. However, Q-Bert can stop him by running into him.

Green Ball, too, can not catch Q-Bert but, if Q-Bert catches Green Ball, all the characters except Q-Bert freeze for a moment and he has an easy chance to change the cube colours.

The game ends when you run out of Q-Berts. After a brief pause the game restarts. A different level can be selected by pressing Reset and if the high score is beaten, you can type in your name.

Points are awarded for changing the cube colour, for luring Coily off the pyramid and for completing each round. Each time 300 points are scored, an extra Q-Bert is awarded.

The graphics are reasonable and sound is good, for example a tune is played when a pyramid is completely changed and a noise is heard when the discs fly to the top of the pyramid. This is a fairly enjoyable game.