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Hop from platform to platform to escape the rising flood and beat evil von Blubba.

The cruel sea stretched and laughed at the weary seamen swimming for driftwood. Drowning was no fun, even for a fisherman. The gulp, the gargling, washed and brushed and wrapped in seaweed and only the bells from the on-shore church prayed for the stormy swimmers.

The distant chants from the hard, wooden pews where the sea-farers wished to sit on Sundays and not float with the fish and shrink their jeans in cold, salty water.

When my grandfather sang Bread of Heaven he was one of the tallest men in the village. His neck extended until he was spitting on the bells in the tower with every note of his strong, bass-toned voice. The milk curdled and the animals cowered and the rest of the congregation huddled in fear in the face of passion. "Give us our daily bread", they whispered. They had noticed the flood and recognised the need to jump to higher quarters.

My grandfather consequently recognised the need for a good pair of strong thighs to jump from trouble although as a keen swimmer and Olympic Gold medalist he relished the challenge of water. He also recognised the direction taken by a recent Ocean release entitled Rainbow Islands.

Water is the direct enemy in this adventure as our trusty heroes have to jump upwards onto various shelves of land to escape the rapidly advancing water.

Bub and Bob were trapped in dragon form for a number of undisclosed centuries.

Numerous unlogged adventures returned the unfortunate fellows to humanity, whereupon they built the palatial dwelling of the Rainbow Islands.

All was well until the evil Von Blubba descended upon the idyllic isles and imprisoned the inhabitants (probably because of the colour of their surf shorts!) and placed his pink vampires and zombies to guard the levels and cause havoc for our heroes.

There are seven levels representing seven Rainbow Islands. By jumping up onto the different platforms you can collect gems and build rainbows over the deadly creatures that lurk on the levels. This is where the water comes in. It seems to represent the imminent doom of the islands catching up with your attempts to defeat the deadly challenge of Von Blubba. Our heroes unfortunately, are incapable of swimming despite the fact that they live by the sea.

Once you have jumped to the top of the island you must open the treasure chest to reveal the gateway to the next island. Islands are progressively more difficult as you advance through the game. The game is a little limited in its subject matter although the story behind Bub and Bob is interestingly amusing. Rainbow Islands is a follow-up to Bubble Bobble but adds the flavour of rainbow-making magic to the fingertips of Bub and Bob. The graphics are better than the original game and the screen is fun to look at with cuddly monsters and cutey pie zombies.

It's a likeable game that will grow on the more patient player. My grandfather took to it well but there again he likes a lot of things like colours, water, cutey creatures and a bit of a challenge against an evil man with a funny name.