Micro-Computer
£7.95

Remember how Hampstead starts - you're stuck in a grotty bedsit, watching 3-2-1 - it's the height of the social deprivation. Well, I've no desire to attain Hampstead, but MicroComputer's cheap adaption of a cheap TV game just adds insult to injury.

It begins with a moronic True or False quiz which simply repeats the same questions with each round of the game. It moves on (though it's flattering to suggest this game has any sense of progress) with the wit and vision of a dead anchovy to a platform game of such unremitting mediocrity that I cannot even crack jokes of Ted Roger's standard to alleviate the gloom. The jolly chap chats away on the tape between sections explaining the rules, I'd never have thought I'd be glad to hear his voice!

Despite the massively inappropriate blurb the point is not to encourage family harmony via the home computer "avoiding the isolation that is so often caused by the machines that we are presented with in the modern world," but greed. By sending off your winning scores you can quality for prizes which include a seven day holiday in Spain. And that's where all the money's gone folks - not on the program. Assign this one to Dusty Bin. It's so bad that if I was offered a choice between this and a season ticket at Highbury I'd seriously waver before buying it. The game, that is.

TBD
£9.95

Everything is thrown into this blatant attempt at exploiting YTV's (inexplicably) successful show. Ted Rogers narrates the instructions and presents each section on the tape, and a wide range of prizes from toy Dusty Bins to a seven day holiday in Spain is up for grabs.

The program is in three sections and will operate on all Spectrums including the few 16K versions still in existence, no source of possible sales has been overlooked!

Section one is the quiz part and three families take turns in answering general knowledge questions by pressing True or False. Section two is a simple arcade sequence and section three is a lucky dip, with not even the convoluted clues of the original TV program to 'help'.

Fans of 321 will possibly find something of interest here and so might avaricious individuals, although it is worth pointing out that even if you achieve everything possible you do not get the prize but only an entry in the 'Grand Draw' for these prizes. It is realistic in that the game had the same effect on me as the TV show, I fell asleep! Personally I think this program would be better stuffed into Dusty Bin!