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It must be pretty fair to say that the two games that have made best use of the Amstrad machines up to now have been Knightlore and Alien 8 from Ultimate (and perhaps even Nightshade, their most recent release).

However, when they brought out the second of these two, a lot of people moaned that the game format was too similar to the first. This is of course absolute rubbish. Once you're onto a winning idea, why not make the most of it?

It was inevitable therefore that in the fullness of time the same type of game would appear from other software houses (in the same way that Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy spawned a whole new game type in days gone by). Unfortunately, successors to an original theme seem almost invariably to be quite inferior to the original but this definitely is not the case with Sweevo's World from Gargoyle (the people who already have their own original game format used in Dun Darach and Marsport).

Once again, the basis of the game is a large map of rooms each one being depicted in reasonably convincing 3D view. Sweevo's World has taken the idea a little further by spicing up the original monochrome idea so that each room is shown in four colours (three really because black is always used for the background). The speed of operation has also been noticeably improved upon. There is no longer a feeling that you're walking through a time warped world of limbo when you enter a room in which there happens to be a lot going on.

Things missing from this one that the Ultimate games did have are the ability to shuffle the scenery about and the ability to jump. This is never actually needed in the game but there are some puzzles that initially look impossible without the possibility of jumping.

The most important thing that seems to be missing however is any form of sound. The loader plays a very catchy little ditty but as soon as the game is entered a wall of silence falls. Not even so much as the pitter patter of footsteps is to be heard - a bit of a pity but it's probably better to have the prettier graphics and enhanced speed.

The actual aim in the game is to clear the map of various mutant creatures by dropping objects on them. There are tins to be picked up which can usually be used to aid in reaching a level that might otherwise be too high. These are used in conjunction with the lifts that are dotted about all over the place. Quite often two adjacent lifts will be found so that by switching from one to the other and dropping tins on the alternative lift, it is then possible to rise to an otherwise unobtainable level.

It isn't easy to generalise about the nature of the problems that you are faced with though. Each object to be picked up or nasty to be avoided has its own foibles and pitfalls. This is where the game really scores against the opposition. In other games there was a standard technique for getting over walls (drop an object, jump on to it then pick it up again as you jump off it over the wall). The same just isn't true in Sweevo's World, Each time you find something to pick up you'll have to put on your thinking cap to work out how it's to be done.

The world is on a number of levels and at various points there are "launching pads" that will bounce you up to the next level. There are also holes dotted about that can be dropped through to go down a level, (Be careful, there is one hole that allows you to drop out of the game.) Some of the objects to be picked up can only be got by dropping down to them from a room above so it's an absolute necessity that you should make a map unless you happen to be particularly good at memorising geography.

There is a pleasant level of humour in the game as well. For instance, you have to pick up BOOs and then go up behind a duck-like creature and make use of it, in other words you have to say BOO to a goose!. Another nice feature of the game is that an object dropped through a hole will still be there when you drop after it so that an otherwise deadly obstacle below a hole can be covered. There are various types of scenery to be found in the rooms - the best are the 1 ton weights that are held up by a semi-transparent beam.

Once the beam is touched the weight comes crashing down barring your pathway or worse still, flattening you. Re-entering a room will put them all back up a height though. There are also fingers which rise up out of the floor. It's usually just a matter of waiting for them to go down and learning how long any particular one takes before it re-appears again. There is also a body of gnome-like men that come up through the floor, but they never go back down again so you have to make a mad dash across them before they rise.

Various types of static object are also to be found. Bumping into them produces the message "Ouch!" and the smiling face that shows your status stops smiling. A few more touches and you can say your prayers. The more mobile types (the fingers and gnomes) are deadly at the first touch. Around the game area you may also find characters sitting looking like Cornish Pixies. These are Brownies and "Brownie Points" are to be gained by picking them up. Like so many of this type of game it is only possible to carry three objects at once. The system most games use for allowing you to pick them up and drop them is on a first in first out basis - not in Sweevo's World though.

A highlighted block circulates around the three positions and the next time the fire button is pressed to pick up an object it is put into the current position or is dropped if an object already occupies the space. This is really annoying when you only have a split second to pick up an object and end up dropping something else instead, but I suppose it all helps to add to the difficulty of the game which for my money is one of the most entertaining that has appeared for the machine. It can be played with either keyboard or joystick and will work on all models of machine.