When the infamous World Distributors snaffled up the Robo Machine licence, they didn't stop at two abysmal annuals, oh no. Not believing in quitting while they weren't too far behind, they also put out at least four storybooks under their "Mini World" banner. These A6 epics consisted of around 40 pages of reassuringly big text with reassuringly awful pictures (it's always nice when you're five to be able to copy this sort of thing into exercise books). These now fetch sums of up to 75p on ebay.

The Mini World books were lumbered with the clumsy brand name Robo Machine featuring Challenge of the Gobots, as at the time Bandai Europe were trying to tie the brand into the Hanna Barbera cartoon, by then beginning to appear in British video rental outlets. World Distributors don't appear to have been supplied with much reference material, as only the Big Six Gobots (Leader-1, Scooter, Turbo, Cy-Kill, Crasher, Cop-Tur) are ever named. Others appear, but tend to be named after whatever they turn into - Rest-Q is stolidly referred to as 'the ambulance-GoBot', for example. Also appearing are Matt, Dr. Braxis and AJ, though the latter has turned from an black teenager into a Caucasian woman closer to Matt's age.

If I can stand up to the punishment, I'll be scanning the four books I have. You lucky, lucky people.

CHAMPIONS OF LIXIL

Matt and AJ are going to watch a plastikice hockey match - ice hockey played by robots, of course - when they spot Dr. Braxis up to something. It turns out he's got some complicated and pointless plan to kill them using the team called the Lixil Lions. Featuring appearances from Scooter, Cy-Kill, Cop-Tur and Rest-Q the ambulance GoBot! Click on the cover to the left to read this pulsating classic, but be warned - it's probably just too exciting for those of a nervous disposition.