Producer: Argus Press
Retail Price: £7.95
Age Range: 7 and over
Author: Computertutor (Clever Clogs Series)

Blockbuster (not to be confused with the popular TV quiz game) is a puzzle 'with a million billion variations'. The child has to make a rectangle out of 12 different blocks which appear on the screen. The screen itself is divided into three pans. At the top is the STORE where the blocks are displayed before being used: on the right is the WORKBOX where the blocks can be rotated before being positioned on the board; and to the left is the BOARD marked with a grid where the rectangle is to be made.

The game is very good for developing skills of spatial awareness, and there is also the option of playing it in its quiz version. If you get 12 questions correct, you are given a complete solution as to the creation of the rectangle. As with all the programs in the Clever Clogs series, pressing CAPS SHIFT/Q takes you to a secret Parents' Page, and enables you to reset the questions. Another useful and flexible game.

COMMENTS

Control keys: P to place a piece on the board, M to move a piece to the workbox, S to move a piece back to the store, Q to end the game. CAPS SHIFT/Q to reset the questions
Keyboard play: very responsive
Use of colour: bright and clear
Graphics: simple but effective
Panel's comments: we thought it was a reasonably good game, but it would be better for schools rather than home use.

Blockbluster, which is aimed at children of seven upwards, is the most enjoyable program in the Clever Clogs range. A variety of different shapes are displayed on the screen, and these must be put together to form a rectangle. Shapes can either be placed as they are, reversed or turned around.

Children can also complete a simple general knowledge test in order to see a possible solution to the puzzle. Strangely, the questions used in this test seem to be aimed at children of a lower age than those who will be reading the instructions for the program. Children who can read words such as "initial" in the program introduction are likely to have little difficulty in answering questions such as "2+2+1".