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The monochromatic blob falls from the sky - he is nothing, he has nothing. With no shape or form, a succession of quick upgrades meets his descent, which, in truth, gives little comfort as he is hamstrung from the outset; aside from cleverly enabling music and sound effects, out little hero can only move left. This forces him through a maze of treacherous encounters, featuring pounding crushers, razor-sharp spikes and platforming leaps that are some of the most challenging out there in gaming.

As he progresses, he can learn to jump, duck and eventually get the coveted 'move right' function (you do not know how frustrating the lack of having this is).

These abilities may make him labyrinth-ready, but trust me when I say - you will require fast reflexes and precision timing to proceed further. Each level in the game brings new challenges, and perhaps our anonymous character can evolve into something name-worthy.

Right from the beginning, the game radiates brilliant charm. The simple, but enjoyable effect of unlocking the sounds alongside the first physical ability never fails to make a smile appear on my face. The delivery of progression via the discovery of 'unlockable' upgrades is fantastic.

It's clear from the outset how incredible this game is. With its astoundingly smooth scrolling and handling of the sprites without flicker, Nothing replicates an indie gae that is trying to replicate a Spectrum game!

Indie developers have worked so hard to get their modern games to look like something from the 8-bit era, but minus the graphical flaws from that time. Somehow, the author has tapped into that magic and brought it first-hand onto our most favourite gaming platform. It is also programmed to be enhanced, if you have a Spectrum Next or emulator that can run in 7Mhz mode. The level design is brilliant, and it will most certainly frustrate some players with the guaranteed countless deaths it has to offer.

Nothing is visually stylish, audibly exquisite and will have replay value for those who desire to challenge themselves in these games as a champion speedrunner.

The first few plays, I must confess, were frustrating. I unlocked the music (that was hard work!) then the sound effects. I could move left - this was the life! And then I started to play the game.

Move left... die. Move left..... die. Move left...

OK - my timing was a bit out, I see. Let's take a bit of time here - Gordon says this game is really good, so I need to take a deep breath and try again.

And I now agree, I think, shit... died again. There is a good game in here, but bloody hell - should it really be this hard to progress into the game? Arghhhh, died again.

Right - one more go.....

...and that pretty much sums up why this game is so good. You cannot walk away - you have to have another go! I need to lie down.

Control Keys: Q, A, O, P & SPACE.
Joystick: Kempston, Sinclair & Cursor.
Graphics: Monochromatic, minimalistic but really nice to look at.
Sound: A few sound effects and a frantic 128K tune.
General Rating: A brilliant adaption of a popular indie game of the same name, made all the better as it's running on the Spectrum.