KULA World is a super cool 3D puzzle game from the burgeoning stable of publishers Sony.

It is basically a fiendishly intriguing platform floating in space and you have control of a beachball (and why not?) which you must roll around the course, collecting various items and jumping over different obstacles as you make your way to the exit point to proceed to the next level.

Now that might not sound too exciting in itself but you are up against the clock all the time and the deceptive quality of the game could soon get you hooked.

The opening levels are a pushover but things get tougher as you progress and you will certainly find yourself beaten by the clock time and again.

The better you do, the larger and more complex the platforms become: you can see where you want to get to, but can you get there in time? But you won't give up easily. I found myself going back again and again as I entered "I won't be beaten" mode - but I was.

You have to make your way around the floating platform or platforms, flipping the structure through 360 degrees (forget the rules of gravity) as you figure your way to the various objects you must collect. But you will have to think hard about which route to take and the ability to think laterally will certainly help!

It can become a bit of a mindbender, not helped by the infuriating ticking clock.

Developed by Game Design Sweden, the graphics are as good as the gameplay across the various platforms in 10 different graphic styles, including ice arenas and deep lush forests. And each level presents a different problem-solving headache.

The obstacles, traps and hazards include spikes which pop your beachball - a really satisfying sound - and ice patches which send you skidding off into oblivion to start all over again.....and again....and again. JE

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.