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Prepare for a cutesy overload as the latest batch of Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters hits your computer screen courtesy of HiTec Software.

Now I can't help feeling that a certain amount of bottom-of-the-barrel-scraping is going on, as some of these characters are not exactly in your world-famous Mickey Mouse, Pink Panther, Garfield category, or even Yogi Bear, which has already appeared from HiTec. I mean, hands up if you've heard of Ruff and Reddy the cartoon dog and cat? One... two... six... oh alright, some of you have. But I'm still waiting for HiTec's Atom Ant game, 'cos I still remember Atom Ant's theme song.

Anyway, Tom and Jerry these two ain't, but the fluffy moppets come together to star in a pretty creditable first outing, and remember it's only £2.99.

Here's the plot - try not to gag. Ruff and Reddy have agreed to test Professor FLipnoodle's Pocket Rocket. (Gharg). Something goes terribly wrong, and the two find themselves stranded on the planet of the Lilli-Punies (Eehurg). Some of me Lilli-Punies have been lost on a nearby planet, and Ruff and Reddy are pressed into service to find and rescue them.

The actual game features Ruff, the cat, searching through the alien planet for the missing Lilli-Punies, who look like gnomes with rotor blades on their heads. Nice backgrounds with parallax scrolling, well-animated figures and excellent game music make this a cut above the average arcade adventure, and you'll soon find that despite the cutesy characters, the game's as hard as they come (well, harder than Snoopy on laxatives anyway).

While leaping from rock to rock collecting food and rescuing the Lilli-Punies, Ruff has to avoid snarling ball-shaped monsters and patrolling robots. On later levels set in caverns deep underground, he also has to avoid getting his ickie-pritty fur wet in the nasty water. There are four levels to complete and 20 Lilli-Punies to rescue overall.

You'll need split-second reactions, a good deal of forward planning and a strong stomach to complete Ruff and Reddy - don't be put off by the slop, this is not just one for the kiddies, and should test the skills of the most wild-eyed, machine-gun-toting arcade fanatic.

Label: HiTec Price: £2.99 Reviewer: Chris Jenkins

Surprisingly challenging dual-hero 'toon entertainment.