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The current Channel 4 re-runs of The Munsters have inspired new software house Again Again to bring out a game based on the characters. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time... but it wasn't.

Back in the early 1960s, American television chiefs decided that monsters, vampires, werewolves, witches and ghosts were suitable subject matter for prime-time family entertainment. But the shows they produced were not nail-biting-hiding-behind-the-soda excursions into terror. No, they made comedy shows.

And so came: The Munsters, which originally ran in America between 1964 and 1966 and featured an outrageous rip-off of Frankenstein's monster in the shape of Herman Munster; Bewitched, which started its run in 1964, and centred on a rather attractive witch who married an ordinary mortal; My Mother The Car, again 1964, about a haunted car; and finally The Addams Family (1964-1966), based on a black humour cartoon strip by Charles Addams. All these shows were extremely popular, and in the case of The Munsters, a spin-off feature film was made in 1966.

Like all good monsters, these shows refuse to lay down and die. British television constantly recycles these shows every few years - with the possible exception of the distinctly odd-sounding My Mother The Car. If you haven't seen them, don't worry. They're bound to be on-screen again within a few years!

The similarities between The Munsters and The Addams Family are astounding. Both feature a family of horror movie cliches living normal, non-violent lives in normal American society. The comedy comes from the fact that they think everybody else is odd. The humour is gentle, sometimes witty - especially in the case of The Addams Family - and stands the test of time remarkably well.

The game sees Marilyn kidnapped by Old Nick in an attempt to persuade the peace and home-loving Munsters to return to a more ghoulish existence. Their home has been filled with things that go bump in the night to put the frighteners on them. To rescue her niece, Lily is forced to roam the house searching for spells and avoiding the spooks.

Lily Munster busily explores the bottom floor of 1313 Mockingbird Avenue - but careful Lily... even the slightest contact with that approaching ghoul will probably finish you off!

Ahh - so that's where Grandpa and Herman have been hiding! Lily'd better not expect to get any sense out of them however as these two static characters appear to be part of the wallpaper.

With a plot as threadbare as Herman's suit, only some really good gameplay could rescue The Munsters from a fate worse than death. Unfortunately, what's on offer here is really poor - and, worse than that, it's really annoying.

First Lily must build up her spell power by zapping the lesser ghosts. This becomes extremely tedious very quickly. You then set off to find the various objects which help you tackle the "higher level" monsters.

Even after collecting objects it was frustrating taking on the bigger beasts. Sometimes they only barely touched Lily to drain all her energy away! And with only one life per game, I was going back to the very beginning with frustrating regularity. The price tag seems excessive for what's on offer... Mediocre graphics, an unoriginal plot and overly frustrating gameplay. RIP.

This version should be finished as you read this and is due out at £19.99. Apart from a few minor graphic differences and slightly enhanced music and spot effects, it should be a carbon copy of its ST counterpart.