One of the main problems the software market suffers from is a lack of originality. At times it appears that programmers simply hange the design of the aliens and sell shoot-'em-ups under another name.

Maybe it's time we went back to another old idea and jazz it up a bit and this is exactly what MicroValue has gone with its latest game Rebound. The title screen is very well done. There's no amazing picture, by varying text fonts and colours are used to good effect.

The music is a superb percussion piece that really gets your foot tapping. It goes on for quite a while and changes all the time - not the usual monotonous dirge that some games give.

As you play, the music can be heard in the background - a feature that I like.

The quality of games music seems to be getting better all the time - but that's not really surprising on the Atari machine.

Now on to the game itself.Imagine that you take a tennis court, cut it in half along the net, then place one half at the top of the screen and the other at the bottom.

You then have a bat at each end moving left and right and a ball and build the sides of the court up so the ball can rebound off them. There you have it - sounds very simple, doesn't it?

There are three levels of play: One is jut right for the novice, but don't try level three unless you have the speed and reactions of Boris Becker.

In one-player mode you face the computer, but the fun really starts when you move to two-player mode and challenge a friend.

The object is to score seven points, or goals, which is done by making your opponent miss the ball so it passes the bat.

You can only score a point when it is your serve and the scores are displayed on a status line that separates the two halves of the court.

When a game is won, a whistle blows and you are returned to the title screen.

An amusing feature is the animated audience seated on each side of the court. They are the strangest bunch of aliens I have ever seen since the cantina scene in Star Wars.

Whenever the player who they support scores a point they clap, jump up and down and generally squirm around in glee. The game contains all the features needed to be a winner - smooth scrolling and superb graphics give an overall addictiveness, the animated audience is fun to look at and the music is superb.

Rebound will be released at Easter on Microvalue's Gour Great Games Volume 3 pack. The pack will be worth buying for this game alone. Well done, MicroValue - a superb product.