Jungle Trouble is one of those games where you are told in advance everything that will happen to you, how to go about certain tasks, and where you can see all of the sections on one screen. To get away with that the game must be good - and it is!

At the beginning you are asked what playing speed you want. 1 being fast and 4 being slow (well, slower anyway). When you see the screen set up you may think it all looks easy (like I did). Just wait till the game starts! Three monkeys scamper on from the left and settle down on the right, at the bottom. Then three men come on after them and stand around at the left. A nice touch is that one realises he's in the wrong place and goes back, to reappear within the frame of the playing area. All this is very nicely animated. A clock below the man starts and the game is under way.

Firstly you must use the stepping stones to jump across a river. As you back up to the left of the screen for your run up you collect an axe, which is signified at the base of screen. A jaw-snapping crocodile lives in the river, so falling in means instant death. For jumping the river, judgment and timing are critical - a slight slip of the finger and the all important jump timing is lost. You fall head over heels into the water and into the croc's jaws. But if you're quick you can run back to the bank. Failing in loses the axe! Get another.

Once across the river you climb ladders to the second level where you are faced with four trees which must be chopped down with your axe. It takes several blows before the tree shakes and you step sharply out of the way to avoid being crushed by the falling tree. It's also at this point that the bored monkeys come into their own. If you watch you'll see one get up and disappear off the screen to reappear on your level. He'll steal your axe, although if it's still sharp enough you can kill him with it. If it's very blunt he may kill you. Once stolen it means going back for another. Over the river, jump, jump, jump!

After clearing away all the trees and using several axes to do it, another set of ladders takes you to the third level. Here you must jump up at the right moment to catch hold of a swaying rope and swing across a fiery pit. Getting to the other side safely triggers a chasm to open up, which has to be jumped. Then you're home - I haven't managed that yet!

Throughout, the graphics are fantastic and there's good use of colour and sound. Nice details like the monkey that scratches his head if no one's on the second stage. Generally a very addictive and worthwhile game.

Producer: Martech, 16K
£5.95

A game with a similar theme to Jungle Fever. Collect an axe and leap across stepping stones set in a crocodile infested river. On the other side you climb a ladder to get to the trees, which you must chop down. The trees will fall on you (if you're not quick to jump out of the way) and they blunt the axe - so back for another. Monkeys live in the trees and steal your axe but you can chop them with it - if it's not already blunt. It they steal it - it's back for another. With the forest laid waste all you have to do is swing across a fire pit using a rope, jump a chasm and then home for tea. A busy game with plenty of opportunities for failure and so pretty addictive.

Producer: Martech, 16K
£5.95

A game with a similar theme to Jungle Fever. Collect an axe and leap across stepping stones set in a crocodile infested river. On the other side you climb a ladder to get to the trees, which you must chop down. The trees will fall on you (if you're not quick to jump out of the way) and they blunt the axe - so back for another. Monkeys live in the trees and steal your axe but you can chop them with it - if it's not already blunt. It they steal it - it's back for another. With the forest laid waste all you have to do is swing across a fire pit using a rope, jump a chasm and then home for tea. A busy game with plenty of opportunities for failure and so pretty addictive.

Producer: Martech, 16K
£5.95

A game with a similar theme to Jungle Fever. Collect an axe and leap across stepping stones set in a crocodile infested river. On the other side you climb a ladder to get to the trees, which you must chop down. The trees will fall on you (if you're not quick to jump out of the way) and they blunt the axe - so back for another. Monkeys live in the trees and steal your axe but you can chop them with it - if it's not already blunt. It they steal it - it's back for another. With the forest laid waste all you have to do is swing across a fire pit using a rope, jump a chasm and then home for tea. A busy game with plenty of opportunities for failure and so pretty addictive.

MACHINE: Spectrum 16K
FROM: Durell Software
PRICE: £6.95
FORMAT: Cassette

In the jungle, the mighty jungle, trouble has always lurked amidst the trees. There are only four trees in Durell Software's jungle, so that its more of a Light Savannah Trouble that's offered. Trouble it is, nevertheless.

The trees appear at the second level of the game, which has three levels in all, and which constitute an assault course which must be covered as soon as possible to reach home.

First, your man collects an axe and has to jump along a line of stepping stones across a river. If he falls in, a crocodile appears pretty snappily.

From there, a ladder leads to the second level, and this is where the axe comes in handy. Your man has to chop down the trees in turn, a task hindered by the axe becoming blunt and a monkey coming to steal it.

If the axe gets completely blunt, you have to go back to the beginning of level one, and collect a new one. If in the course of chopping down all the trees, one hasn't fallen on him, your man climbs another ladder, and thence must swing across a pit of fire, and make an Olympic leap over a chasm which suddenly yawns open.

Jungle Trouble gives you three lives and four speeds to play at, and all movements of your figure are controlled by the cursor control keys, which have been well chosen.

The game is written in machine code, and it shows. It's an attractive game which offers a variety of challenges and a fair amount of initial frustration.

The graphics especially are interesting. In other games figures move about like wooden dummies on wheels, but in Jungle Trouble, your matchstick man runs, leaps, jumps, and falls as if in a professional animation. You can even study his leg movements.

Similarly, the monkeys are truly mischievous, they scratch their heads and tap you on the shoulder before they rob you.

In fact, attention to detail is good everywhere. The state of the axe is illustrated on the bottom of the screen, and you can watch it becoming blunter - until it looks like a rotten, gnarled tooth.

Jungle Trouble is amusing. It clearly demonstrates that being a Tarzan-like lumberjack is at least as exciting as being a starship commander.