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This offering from Dynabyte follows Acornsoft's Aviator as an innovative piece of software that makes use of the Beeb's fast processing speed at machine level to produce three-dimensional wire-frame graphics. For the uninitiated, wire-frame means that the object, in this case a tank, is displayed simply as a 3D outline figure, with little or no detail. This doesn't mean the effect is unrealistic. On the contrary, it stimulates the imagination and I prefer it to miniscule overdetailed characters.

Once 3D Tank Zone is loaded you find yourself looking at the controls of a tank, looking out onto a landscape containing a multitude of pyramids (or are they hills?). The turret may be rotated to face one of the other three points of the compass to show missile silos, part of a city and what look like volcanoes erupting in the distance.

The on-board radar, which is rather disappointing, shows a single point to represent the position of an attacking enemy tank, located visuallyn by swinging the turret around. By using the keyboard or a joystick, the sights of the anti-tank missile are aligned and the deterrent launched. The process is harder than you might expect. The sights are not the cross-wire type but move up and down the side of the screen and across the top of the screen, so it takes some skill to line them up. The marauder is also manoeuvring smoothly at an often unpredictable speed so he's easy to miss. Once launched, the missible whistles away and if you're on target the enemy tank is obliterated - and other appears on the radar screen.

In the skies, waves of lifelike jets and helicopters are on the attack. You can shootn them down using the on-board anti-aircraft cannon, the sights for this beinfg the standard crosswords type. Only one weapon can be fired at atime.

Points are awarded for distryoing any enemy hardware, tanks carryjng thegreatest value. The object of th game is to destroy as much of the enemy before he pops your clogs, so an eye needs to be kept on the condirion of the enery banks.

Ian Brettell