Boulder Dash XL

3 cert, Kalypso Media, Xbox Live Arcade, ****

GAME OF THE WEEK:Fancy yourself as a diamond miner? The retro favourite Boulder Dashreturns to modern consoles but keeps its simple premise: collect the diamonds and get out before your time runs out.

Rockford is back as a robot, along with Crystal. Like other BDtitles, you have to dig your way through dirt, move boulders and avoid falling rocks and enemies as you go, collecting as many diamonds as you can until you complete each level.

It’s simple yet brilliant, and not quite as easy as you’d think. It requires a lot of thought lest you find yourself doomed to endlessly repeat levels as you get taken out by falling boulders from on high.

It’s probably best you make your peace with frequent restarts, because it will happen until you properly get the hang of things. And while it’s frustrating, it’s not irritating enough to make you ditch the game. In fact, it will make you all the more determined to beat it next time. Or maybe the time after.

The replay value on Boulder Dashis linked to the numerous level types its offers. There are a few different modes to choose from, including arcade, score attack and retro. Arcade is the obvious place to start, but retro mode is worth a look – you'll feel like you've taken a step back in time. It ramps up the difficulty: diamonds are still the goal, but falling ones will kill you. The graphics are more retro as well.

All in all, Boulder Dash XLprovides addictive entertainment.