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These blocks are made for building and they'll build all over you.

A question for you, comrade. What is Mother Russia's greatest contribution to Western culture? The furious folk dances of those freaked-out Cossacks? The heroic Revolution? The political musings of its great thinkers? Yuri Gagarin? The Moscow State Circus? No, it is a computer game, Tetris, and thanks to perestroika - with a little help from Virgin Mastertronic it is available to capitalists in the decadent West.

The concept behind Tetris is simple and, like most simple ideas, it works. The comrade-player has to control the descent of various multi-coloured shapes from the top to the bottom of the screen. As the shapes reach the bottom of the screen they pile up, layer on layer.

The comrade-player can manoeuvre the falling shapes left or right and also rotate the shapes through multiples of 90 degrees with each squeeze of the firebutton. Once a shape has been guided into a desirable position at the bottom of thescreen another will fall immediately. By slotting the falling shapes together skilfully a uniform - I like that word, comrade - and unbroken row can be created, which then falls off the screen. In that way the ever-increasing stack of shapes can be prevented reaching the top of the screen.

Of course, this is no simple task for the shapes falling often have no discernible residence in the mass below, dissidents. This problem is compounded by the nasty habit of the program of dropping squares in batches of six or more, the square not being the easiest shape to house.

Points are awarded for every shape on-screen and for every row you clear. One mistake in placing the shapes can be disastrous and, as the screen begins to crowd. the shapes have less distance to fall, and consequently the frantic comrade-player has less time to decide how best to organise and position his shapes. It is, as we like to say to new conscripts, a Catch-22 situation.

A helpful item is in the box on the left-hand side of the screen which indicates in advance which type of shape will follow, which is useful for five-year planning. Tetris has nine levels of play and in level one the shapes fall slowly enough for the comrade-player to handle easily but on level nine even comrade Karpov would shout "Niet".

Only the Russians could have produced such an insidiously addictive game. I am certain the KGB uses Thtris to brainwash its victims, such is the mental anguish which accompanies each game, Heed this warning from your comrade leader - first among equals - this game is addictive. It may distract some from completing their work quotas. It certainly did at the State magazine for Amstrad owners. They could not refuse another game. You may end up queueing in the streets for a copy.

1. ther Russia's greatest contribution to Western culture.