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Crystal Kingdom Dizzy was released for many platforms, from consoles to the Spectrum, way back in 1992, and it kept other big franchises like Street Fighter 2 off the top of the charts. Now some 25 years later, and released in time for Easter 2017, we have a completely remastered version of the game which has been the talk of the Dizzy-loving community on social media ever since.

The loading screen is the first thing to leave you breathless. It's a reimagining of the original Codemasters cassette cover art, and placing the two images next to each other shows just how close Oleg Origin got to the original. The next thing to impress is the AY music - there are six original scores within the game and the first tune starts playing on the move from loading screen to attract mode. It's so good that you want to load the game again and again just to listen to the music.

There are two options: one for the control menu to select Kempston or define cursor keys; the second to switch the AY music off, leaving only sound effects.

Crystal Kingdom Dizzy has been developed over a couple of years, and from the ground up. Its engine runs at 50fps, which gives a super-smooth look and feel to the graphics - based on the Amiga version. As the game flicks between its 136 locations, the love and attention to detail is evident and it encourages exploration and the solving of the many puzzles. The Magical Crystal Treasure has been stolen and scattered all over the game map - and yes, your job is to collect that treasure and make the world good again (while avoiding the pirates).

If you have never played a Dizzy title before, there are easier games in the series to get started on. Some puzzles have you making blind jumps off screens or encountering enemies that zap your health. While this is somewhat par for the course in playing Dizzy adventure titles, there can be moments when you are stuck finding an object to progress or trapped in a space with no means of escaping without suffering. However, as this is a new title, the programmer has said that he is willing to continue to improve it if necessary, based on player feedback.

Crystal Kingdom Dizzy oozes quality - the 128K music throughout the game is some of the very best and accompanies a graphical environment which pushes the Spectrum's capability to new levels. A Dizzy game has never looked this good. The basic gameplay is familiar if you have played other Dizzy games - the beautiful world that you explore in CKD though enhances the explore/collect/switch mechanic which is typical of the series. You will want to see every graphical nook and cranny that the game offers - so expect to pick this game up and find it very hard to put down.

Control keys: User definable
Joystick: Any make
Keyboard play: Probably better than using a joystick
Use of colour: Superb - no attribute problems
Graphics: Very detailed and smooth animation
Sound: 6 AY tracks, excellent
Screens: 136
General Rating: One of the best looking games on the Spectrum. It's Dizzy!