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Thousands of years ago, when we Europeans were still clubbing each other with leopards' femurs, the wise and completely together Chinese were inventing games of subtle skill and lightning reactions. One such is called Shanghai. The idea of this ancient puzzle game is first to cover a grid with pairs of tiles at random, then remove them one pair at a time until not a single one is left on the grid. Now the game has arrived on the ST in the shape of Sarakon.

What makes this computerised version harder, though, is that the pairs removed much either be adjacent to each other or must be able to be connected by a line which doesn't pass through any of the other tiles. Also, this line mustn't have more than two right-angles in it - this one's the killer.

The tiles are also stacked on top of more tiles. How many layers of them there are depends on the level you've attained. The multi-layers either make things easier or harder depending on the difficulty selection you make at the start. In easier mode you can match up tiles from different layers (as long as the matching-up rules are still adhered to). On the harder level you can't.

It's a simple game, especially once you've played it once or twice and got the hang of it, but to spice up the proceedings there is a time limit per level. This is the crux of the game. You don't get multiple lives or extra credits, and if your time runs out before you can clear all the tiles you've lost.

Simple enough, but is it addictive? Yes, it's addictive. You carry on playing Sarakon because you know exactly what you're doing buy you keep getting confounded by the time limits - which get particularly stiff after you've completed the first one or two levels. It's a real test of mouse control, and if you're stuck with the old Atari armadillo which came with your ST, buying Sarakon might be the perfect excuse to upgrade to a better mouse.

The game doesn't contain much variation, but if you're a fan you won't want any. To break up the pressure, however, there are bonus screens where you just collect as many pairs as you can in the time allowed.

Puzzle game fans will like Sarakon. It's a finely-written program and its strength lies in the simplicity of the task pitted against the time limit and the players' reaction times. One fault is that, on later levels, some tiles look very like others. If you don't have excellent eyesight and a good monitor you might feel cheated by those almost indistinguishable differences. If you have both, though, Sarakon is addictive enough to keep you glued to the one until you being to lose the other.

1. Continues the tradition of games like Puzznic, but the oriental atmosphere makes it seem classier.
2. Slicker than the various PD versions of the game around; fast and fumble-proof.
3. Not quite another Tetris, but does deserve to become a minor classic.