Hop N Chop is a marvellous blend of ideas all rolled into one still-on-sale budget release from Cronosoft. (ie you can't just download it from WoS).

I bought the tape version at the beginning of December [2004] and I'm very impressed. I do have some qualms with HnC though nothing that would scupper it.

You play Jack Lumber (who looks more like Bub from Rainbow Islands than the square-jawed bloke on the inlay) who works for the Log Company. The idea is that he has to go around each landscape chopping down trees, avoiding nasties and collecting various bits n bobs before the timer runs out.

Once Jack has completed three days' work at one branch of the Log Co, he'll get transferred to another, more difficult branch. This will happen four times and then he'll get 'rewarded generously' - according to the instructions (I have yet to get that far).

At the very basic level, HnC is equivalent to a Nintendo Game & Watch title (or even Cavemania, another Shaw Brothers game). Except HnC is vastly superior.

First impressions are good. There's a pleasant loading screen to keep you occupied until the game has loaded. Yuo'll then see the welcome page. This provides you with a few options, including checking out the graphics for the collectables, bad-guys and basic scenery (and a plug for other Shaw Bros. games). Slight niggle as that you can't ever get back to this page once you press Space. But that's very minor point. (Graham Shaw has since explained to me that this section of memory is over-written once you get into the game itself, so that's why you can't get back to that page)

Once you start the game properly you'll immediately notice how colourful it all is. There's colour-clash but it's not that obvious. As all the sprites are white, you don't end up with a screen that looks like a kids' paint set.

In addition to being colourful, the graphics are detailed. The Bombay ducks drops yellow eggs at you, the missiles you fire back are colourful and every sprite is animated. Jack is a bit of a mover with his actions being quite subtle. When he's chopping the tree, jumping around, sliding down slopes he performs them with an appropriate animation. Thankfully none of this detracts from the actual gameplay itself.

Each level has a set number of trees you need to chop down. Your axe can only deal with four swings before it needs to be re-sharpened. This adds a bit of frantic strategy to the game as you run around trying to find the axe-sharpener. Whilst avoiding the nasties, their projectiles and managing not to fall off the platforms you're trying to jump across.