THIS PAINTER IS NOT AN OLD MASTER

Your task in this game is to steer the dashing dauber through a maze painting it as he goes. If the maze was drawn in anything like true 3D then the game could be very popular - unfortunately it's not.

The mazes themselves are drawn in two dimensions but have shadows behind them to resemble 3D. Unfortunately this idea does not work too well. There are some marvellous 3D paths produced by the method but the painter simply wanders round the outside.

There are four mazes in all to complete. I managed the first one after about five minutes but assumed that the other three would be harder. I was mistaken. I managed to clear all four mazes after about ten minutes play and the game then had no further appeal to me.

The game uses no high resolution graphics, the man is badly animated and drawn. You are pursued by a single ghost who appears to have absolutely no intelligence at all. He often comes speeding straight towards you and then goes off in a totally different direction.

This game from CDS Microsystems runs on a Spectrum in 16k. It's not a program which I would spend my hard-earned cash on but if you want to see for yourself then it'll cost you £5.95.

MACHINE: Spectrum 16K
FROM: CDS Micro Systems
PRICE: £5.95
FORMAT: Cassette

Getting a reliable decorator is difficult enough. Imagine how much worse it would be if he had to work with a berserk android on the loose.

In 3D Painter, this is exactly the problem. You are the painter, and the job is painting a maze. The maze is not 3D, but it's a nice, symmetrical shape floating in black space. As you move left, right, up, and down, you paint your path in a pretty colour.

The object is to paint the whole maze, and the danger is this android who moves randomly and jerkily around. If he bumps into you, you're dead. If you avoid contact, there's another three mazes to paint before you return to the first one.

There's a time bonus for quick completion of the maze, and when that's down to zero, you're out of a job.

With quick reactions, it's possible to give the android the slip - he's not too smart, and can brush right by you without picking up your scent. It's as if he's got a heavy cold and can't smell paint.

You'll find the game easy to grasp, but there are problems - not all of them intentional. The second maze is cyan until you paint it green, and it's easy to miss a bit of the maze because of the lack of contrast. And it's possible to get trapped in dead ends in the fourth maze, which spells the word 'painter'.

It's a shame there's no animation in the characters - they move around as flexibly as a couple of frozen fish fingers, but that shouldn't spoil enjoyment of the game. My main regret was that there weren't any more mazes to explore. 3D Painter is an uncomplicated game, and sometimes the simple pleasures of life are the best.