A Fondness for Fuzzballs

Who remembers the name of that immortal film from grade school science class where hordes of hapless lemmings jumped gleefully from cliffs taller than the tallest skyscraper? Who can forget the splattered little fuzzballs themselves?

These cute, but really dumb, creatures are the nominal attraction to a very addictive series of arcade-game puzzles from Psygnosis Ltd. called “Oh No! More Lemmings.”

The 100-level sequel can be run with the firm’s original “Lemmings” game or purchased as astand-alone version.

As with the original, each puzzle and level of difficulty taxes your brain, not necessarily just your hand-eye coordination.

The puzzles themselves are actually graphic mazes: puzzles with one entrance and one (safe) exit. Lemmings jump into the maze and its your job to guide them out again. You must direct them to use the appropriate skills to dig, build or climb around the obstacles. Each lemming can serve in several helpful ways to assist your efforts, but you must tell the little dimwits what to do.

But, beware. Giving them the wrong direction means their inevitable lemming-like deaths. If there’s a cliff or a hole, they’re down it. If there’s water, they’re drowning in it.

In the easiest, “Tame” game level, solving the puzzles and saving the lemmings gets old hat real fast. It’s a good way to learn the game as all the possible skills--digging, climbing, building, etc.--are available.

The other levels, however, (“Crazy,” “Wild” and “Wicked”) are not nearly so accommodating and can be addictive mind-blowers.

While it’s not exactly nonviolent to watch your new friends waddle to their death while you figure out the puzzles, trying to save them can keep you glued to the screen for hours of game play.

Lemmings

Rating: ***

IBM and compatibles, Amiga, Atari; 512K RAM; mouse recommended. List: $34.99 (add-on version); $49.99 (stand alone).

Computer games are rated on a five-star system, from one star for poor to five for excellent.