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It is the twenty-first century and a crisis faces the rotund blob-like beings of Blobolonia. The Emperor has suddenly become a rather evil tyrant bent on force-feeding the inhabitants a staple diet of marshmallows and chocolate. This may sound fine to most people, but in reality not a lot of blobs like marshmallows and chocolate, preferring the lovely taste of jellybeans.

One such Blob (named Blobert, but he prefers to be called Blob by his friends) has escaped to Earth and has made friends with a young boy (draw your own conclusions about this). This young lad is pretty upset about the treatment his chum is getting and decides to brutally murder the Emperor and liberate the inhabitants of Blob. Hurrah!

Many days and sleepless nights are spent by the boy and his Blob formulating cunning plans with which to bring down the evil Emperor. In the end, our heroes decide to collect a load of treasure, swap it for some vitamins and then force-feed them to the Emperor back on Blobolonia. Only then can the Blobs be free from their gastronomic oppression.

In controlled experiments, it was discovered that Blobs are instantly transformed into useful items by feeding them different varieties of jellybean. Our youthful hero carries a backpack full of jellybeans and, since Blobert likes them so much, he's all too pleased to transform himself into various shapes - especially if his blob-like form can be used to solve some of the platform puzzles found in the game.

A Boy And His Blob was designed by almost legendary David Crane. This is his first Nintendo game, but he's designed and programmed countless hits in the past, the most famous being Activision's computer versions of the massive Ghostbusters film. Crane also worked on Pitfall, Pitfall 2 and H.E.R.O., versions of which may be appearing on the consoles...

Once you've collected some treasure, travel to the health store to buy some vitamins. There are several different types on offer. Not only do they come in handy for butchering the evil emperor, they are also used later on in the game to dispose of some of the nastier enemy sprites!

A version of this great Nintendo game is available for the handheld Gameboy. The object of the Gameboy version is much the same, except that the map is completely different. All of Blob's powers are in there, and the graphics are quite nice, but unfortunately the game's only currently available on import.

If you're desperate to buy it, try to get an American version because ll the text on the Japanese version of the game is indecipherable (unless you can read Japanese, that is!).

A Boy And His Blob scores no points for pulse-racing excitement. The pace of the game is quite sedate, and you have to get quite a way into the game before your reactions are put to the test. However, A Boy And His Blob is one of the most challenging arcade adventures I've ever played.

What I like about it is that there's always more than one way to complete a puzzle. For example, cushioning that massive fall can be achieved with either the Cola Bubble or the Vanilla Umbrella.

The game also has a superb graphic quality. Some of the backdrops are digitised and superbly coloured, whilst the sprites are fantastic. The boy moves smoothly and realistically, and the Blob himself is a masterpiece of animation. He smiles inanely when he sees a jellybean being tossed his way, and has the most pathetic look on his face if you don't feed him for a while!

There's months of gaming in this cart, and it's worth every penny. Nintendo owners should go forth and purchase immediately!

A Boy And His Blob is every bit as strange as it sounds. The gameplay is very unusual, with elements of arcade adventuring and puzzle-solving thrown together in a highly original way.

The way the problems are presented is neat, requiring you to use your blob to the best of his transforming abilities. Some situations are quite tricky, and require plenty of lateral thinking to see them through, but they're never so tough that you give up completely - just try out a few beans and see what comes up!

As well as being great fun to play, A Boy And His Blob looks and sounds brilliant. The graphics are tremendous, with superb sprite animation and stunning backdrops, and there are a variety of excellent tunes and effects adding a great atmosphere to the game. Put them together with the amazingly addictive gameplay and you've got a game that'll keep you playing for ages.

Presentation 91%
Helpful hints are present during the game, and the game itself is polished to perfection.

Graphics 92%
Some of the best animated sprites yet seen in an NES game, coupled with excellent backdrops.

Sound 80%
A nice selection of effects and a suitably inane theme tune.

Playability 93%
The puzzling aspect is superbly presented and instantly addictive.

Lastability 92%
A huge map to explore and loads of treasures to collect make this one that'll have you puzzling for ages.

Overall 91%
A superbly executed, very original, fun arcade adventure that demands a place in your NES collection.