Muppets

Dr Bunsen H and Beaker have been experimenting (again); this time though, they've accidentally sent some Muppets back in time, just before a special edition of The Muppet Show was set to go ahead. Luckily, Kermit and Animal were late arriving at the theatre, and now it's down to them (or rather, you) to rescue their friends in time for the show.

There are six different time zones to visit to rescue the Muppets: Prehistoric, Aztec, Egyptian, Roman, Medieval and Wild West. Each Muppet is stuck in a different time zone, and they can be completed in any order. When you select your time zone, you choose one of three levels to begin with; all of these have to be completed before you can try the fourth level where you can try and rescue the Muppet. These three levels can also be tackled in any order.

Each level has either Kermit or Animal as a character, which means you have to control both of the furry friends at some point in the game. Each of the "Rescue Muppets" has certain differences, Animal's special move is a stomp, whereas Kermit's is a giant leap. Both of them can also throw different things (Kermit can throw paper aeroplanes and Animal can chuck drumsticks) to deter baddies who are trying to stop you rescuing your friends.

You have a limited supply of weapons, but luckily, you can pick up more as you go along. Every time you see an aeroplane or a drum, you can collect it to increase your supply. Also limited is your character's energy supply, which you can increase by picking up any food that you see lying around.

The levels can get a little confusing, and it is like travelling round a maze at some points. The aim of each level is to find a mystery object. Once you have found it, you can carry on to the other levels before trying to rescue the Muppet. However, as you do not know what object you're looking for, you can end up wandering round the same area aimlessly. As well as getting lost, you have to contend with the baddies on each level. These can be quite difficult to escape from, but they are beatable with patience.

The graphics are decent, the Muppets really do look like themselves, and the introduction scenes (like Waldorf and Stadtler telling jokes and the initial telling of the story) are a wonderful addition to the game. But other aspects, such as the backgrounds, could do with some improvement.

The game is a lot of fun, but can get annoying because of the maze-like design of the levels. In all, if you can cope with the levels, and you like the Muppets, you should enjoy this.