Enigma Variations
SAM Coupe
£14.99

It's the Nineties and it's time for... another SAM game! The concept of Klax is simple. Different coloured tiles roll towards you and you have to catch them on your paddle and flip them into one of five bins.

The idea is to make a set number of Klaxes from the tiles, where a Klax is a stack of like-coloured tiles in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal line. Once you've made a Klax, these tiles disappear and the others move down. Simple, eh?

The basic levels of the game, where you must make three-high Klaxes, are easy to complete. It doesn't stay easy for long, though. On later levels you have to attempt a large X, five in a row or long diagonals. For extra bonus points you can set up the tiles to cause a chain reaction of Klaxes (and that's really difficult).

The paddle can hold a maximum of five tiles at a time. After this they just drop off the edge and put the drop meter up. Depending on the level, you're allowed a set number of drops before you get the dreaded GAME OVER sign.

As well as multi-coloured tiles spinning towards you there are also wild tiles that flash on and off. These can be used to complete a Klax of any colour - or if you are really clever, you can drop one to complete two Klaxes at the same time!

Klax is one of those games you either love or hate - I love it. All puzzle game freaks will find it a great challenge but it can get very annoying when things start to go wrong.

Every few waves the background graphics change to another excellent scene (converted from the ST, no doubt) to add a bit of variety. The tune and sound effects are pretty neat, too.

This is a great version of Klax, and just so all SAM owners can brag to their friends, it looks and plays just like the Atari ST and Amiga games!

NICK [82%]

This game makes me want to throw my computer out of the nearest window 'cause it's so tough! Frustration certainly rules for the first few attempts, and these are just the easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy levels. But in time you calm down a bit and start to enjoy the game, although it's hard to believe that such a simple concept as collecting tiles can cause most people to invent new swear words (I've added another two to my vocabulary today). Graphics are great, very colourful, though sometimes you almost need to wear shades. Flipping great all the same.
MARK [87%]

LABEL: Tengen
MEMORY: 256K
TAPE: N/A
DISK: £14.99

Klax. Hmmm what kind of picture does that word conjure up in your mind? Somebody tap dancing on the National grid? Maybe the sound you make after someone practiced baseball on your teeth last week. But to arcade freaks it's a classy little puzzle game by Tengen that isn't entirely unlike Noughts 'n Crosses, which I'll explain.

The concept is very simple, catch the different coloured tiles as they advance towards you and then flip each tile into one of five bins.

The Klax is an actual row of these tiles, either horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Once a row of "Klaxes" has been made that are of the same colour they disappear and when when enough points have been gathered the game progresses to the next stage. The Klaxes scroll towards you on a never-stopping conveyor belt. The conveyor can be sped up but never slowed down. If you have a number of tiles which you don't want to empty into one of the bins you can throw them to the back of the conveyor where they begin to scroll back towards you again. There is a set goal to achieve for each level. Sometimes you have to simply get a number of Klaxes whilst on others you may have to get a certain number of points or diagonals. Sometimes by doing something a special secret level can be accessed. The hint slot before each level tells you about how to achieve this, if you can on that level.

There are brilliantly coloured backdrops surrounding the play board that change every five levels. The different tunes and sound effects are brilliant on the Sam version. I would even go as far to say that the Sam version is better than the S.T Klax. Well worth buying.

GARTH:
There's nothing like a bit of Klax and the SAM version is as good a conversion as you'll see on any computer.