EXCLUSIVES

Looking for an arcade game that combines puzzles and action? Try an old favorite reworked for today, and check out MacSoft's version of the classic 1980s game Q*Bert.

You control Q*Bert, orange of fur and long of snout, and it's your job to bounce around on a cube-like landscape and change the cubes different colors by jumping on them. Your goal is to turn the entire pyramid that color. The game's cartoonish 3D graphics suit it well, and the gameplay is enhanced with appropriate arcade music.

A gang of enemies make a return appearance from the original game, most notably the infamous "Coily the Snake," to make your task more difficult. If you encounter any of these bad guys, your Q*Bert will fall to the ground with an unintelligible exclamation of "!@#*@&!" Helping you, though, are a limited number of small discs on the side of the structure. Jumping on these, Q*Bert safely floats to another part of the pyramid. Because this new version takes many cues from the original, any fan of the 80's Q*Bert should feel right at home.

For new users, however, navigating throughout the pyramid may require some practice, taking a few tries before you get used to moving Q*Bert in the right direction. Expect to fall off the structure quite a few times when you're getting used to its triangular layout.

Q*Bert has three modes of gameplay, the classic arcade game, an adventure series based on the format of the classic version, and head-to-head, where you can compete against another player at your Mac. All levels have adjustable difficulty.

While the game runs fine in both Mac OS 9 and the Classic layer of Mac OS X, it had a strange habit of abruptly changing its resolution before beginning a game and after finishing one, as well as on opening and closing the application. While it did not interfere with gameplay, it was a strange interruption to have the game reveal the desktop, if only for a few seconds. This is just a minor complaint, though.

If you're looking for nostalgic new wave arcade fun, Q*Bert will deliver. At under $20, it won't break the bank either.

System requirements: "Revision B"-series iMac or newer. Q*Bert is made by MacSoft www.wizworks.com/macsoft > $19.99