The young Mandarin has been recruited by the resistance for a top secret mission, rescue a small being of vital importance... If the cover of this new game didn't give away its influences, that summation of the plot on the inlay certainly will have. This is Star Wars' hit series The Mandalorian, in CPC style.

Jump, shoot and dodge your way through a wide array of deviously laid-out screens in your quest to find your young target; along the way, collecting enough fuel to activate an emergency gateway to escape Dying Orange Base. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, there are a variety of enemies to get past and some of those enemies are fiendishly difficult to avoid, so don't expect this to be a walk in the park!

Graphically, this is superb. Everything is detailed, every enemy oozes character and your chunky little Mandarin is the cutest little chibi, blue Boba Fett you'll ever see. The little, green target you're after (who is totally not Grogu, the Baby Yoda of Star Wars, honest!) is brilliantly rendered and the whole game is simply charming to play.

That said, some of the screen layouts could use a little tweaking. It's possible to do a high jump if you run and time it correctly, which lets you leap over most enemies - except in a couple of locations, where suddenly you can't. Moreover, you can enter some screens and discover that an enemy is right on top of you immediately. In those situations, you need extra lives just to deal with the slight lack of game polish. It's frustrating but you will keep playing either way because this game sucks you in.

The music is catchy, the gameplay is classic in all the best ways and you'll find yourself coming back time and time again to have another crack at it. There's almost nothing to fault here, it's a must-play action platformer. Get this game and play it. You will not be disappointed.

It's early days but I honestly believe that this is a contender for Game Of The Year. From my first try to a couple of minutes ago when, days later, I finally pried myself away from this game, I have been hooked.

Sure, some of the enemies will insta-kill you if you're unlucky enough to wander onto the screen while they're right where you'll appear but the overall design of each screen is superb, and learning the best way to navigate each one is a lot of fun.

The cute graphics, great music and fun gameplay is enough to keep you playing for a long time to come.

Well, this is a rather nice game indeed. A slick and smooth platformer with a Rick Dangerous charm and heavy Star Wars referencing. The visuals are great, clear and defined if a little untidy in places, but it's all presented with a suitable mood.

SFX are more than adequate alongside a plodding tune, which for me is a little repetitive, but nicely arranged.

But the hook is really in the gameplay. Great responsive controls, good speed, fine level design and lots of thought put into the general flow of the game. It'll have you fish-hooked quickly for sure.

Presentation 95%
Great game design; fun, classic-look packaging; and simple to play.

Graphics 90%
Great use of colour, good animation, smooth movement, backgrounds are nicely detailed.

Sound 90%
A catchy tune that will get stuck in your head quickly. Good stuff!

Addictive Qualities 95%
When you start playing, you won't want to stop. Cancel your afternoon meetings before you load this one up.

Lastability 95%
Even when you finish it, you'll want to try again because maybe this time you'll do it with fewer lives lost.

Overall 93%