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Is it because war is so much fun that we turn it into games? Or is it because we play so many war games that we go so eagerly to war?

These were some of the more serious thoughts sparked off by playing Soft ware Invasion's game 3D Bomb Alley. Mind you, there isn't too much time to think when you're actually playing the game!

The scenario is obviously based on San Carlos Bay in the Falklands. Your fleet is at anchor in a narrow sea inlet and you are under attack from enemy planes. These appear in the far distance but rapidly grow larger as they near.

To defend yourself you have to throw up a barrage of anti-aircraft fire. The trouble is that, although you can miss the planes, if they get through they don't miss you.

You get an extra ship for each 10 planes downed and the game ends when you've lost your last ship.

It's a simple game with nice graphics and adequate instructions. The way the planes appear in the distance and then grow larger is a good technique but it's annoying when they slow down and even appear to stop when under fire. You can almost feel the micro thinking.

At first I thought that that would mean a slow game, but I soon learned differently as the planes came at me five at a time.

It's a simple game where the main difficulty comes from the increasing number of enemy planes. If you like action where quick reactions are at a premium then this is one for you.

Eileen Young