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Spying's a funny old game, and when it comes to sticking your nose into other people's under-sea business, there's nothing like a good sub to get the job done. The Russians seem to subscribe to this point of view, because all intelligence points to a number of ALFA-class Soviet subs infiltrating friendly waters.

Enter the American 688 Attack Sub, one of the most fearsome US subs ever to roam the oceans. These fine submarines are just the ticket for patrolling friendly waters, escorting any foreign sea-farers "who just happen to get lost" out of restricted areas. The 688 also has a lethal line-up of powerful torpedoes at the ready should any situation turn nasty.

This in-depth simulation enables players to take control of either the eponymous 688 or the Russian ALFA across a number of missions ranging from a simple training exercise to all-out sub-aqua war!

Your sub is only equipped with a small amount of torpedoes and warheads, so firing off missiles any old how isn't good enough. You could hit a friendly vessel, or a biological target (probably a whale!). When a blip appears on your sonar, the best thing to do is to hop across to the radio room where a computer study of your target can find out exactly what it is.

Alternatively you could use your periscope and your own eyes to check out the situation - should your target reside on the surface.

1. Communications This cool guy takes care of communications. Checking in with HQ at the beginning of your mission provides you with your orders. Simply by raising your antenna these orders can be reviewed at any time during the game.

2. Damage Control This area of the control deck is used to check on the damage your sub has sustained during the mission.

3. Periscope This impressive periscope is used to check out the area immediately around the sub. If you're too deep to use the 'scope, you're automatically given a sonar view of the sea bed.

4. Weapons Control The torpedo control area! Here, the 688's tubes are loaded up with various missiles, but be careful because missiles are in short supply.

5. Sonar This door leads to the radio room. Here, all the sophisticated sonar tracking equipment is housed ready for use. Unidentified sonar blips can even be analysed by the sonar computer for identication!

6. Map Room The main maps area is used for setting up way-points and checking out targets' movements. There's also a time compression option here, which when enabled, takes all of the tedium out of a long journey.

Most of the individual sub screens show the same sonar map of the play area. A quick press of the C button brings up more details on the sonar screen, whilst many options exist to zoom in or out of the map screen or alter the sonar picture.

This is the place to lock-on to any target before letting loose with the torpedoes.

Make sure you've got your English-Russian dictionary at hand when you select the Russian ALFA sub, because all of the controls are labeled in Russian! This means that getting used to the somewhat old-fashioned sub is made all the more difficult.

What makes the situation even more bizarre is the fact that you still receive your orders in English...!

688 Attack Sub is an 8-meg cartridge, which may sound quite surprising considering that the game doesn't have much in the way of sophisticated graphics or immensely varied gameplay. However, use the VOICE ON option and the mystery is solved.

The game is packed with sampled speech, which is supposed to be your crew reporting to you what they've just done (this does sound a bit pointless considering you tell them what to do to begin with).

Should you choose the Soviet sub, all of the speech is changed into the fluent Russian (well, that's what it sound like anyway).

Usually, games like 688 Attack Sub aren't my cup o' tea, with far too much fiddling around and not enough large explosions and gratuitous violence for my liking. But this one has a gripping atmosphere which draws you into the action and keeps you playing.

It's quite tricky to get to grips with, and the instruction manual has to be read properly, but once you embark on a mission and start making progress and sinking enemy boats (not friendly ones like I did!), it becomes very enjoyable.

If you're looking for an unusual and engrossing game with plenty of lasting appeal, have a look at this.

NES Silent Service proved that simulations can be brought to the consoles very easily, and I'm glad to say 688 Attack Sub only adds weight to the argument. This sort of game would require lots of keys on a home computer, but the console version's control method is surprisingly quick and easy to use.

The graphics are okay, but not really special in any way - like the sound. The speech seems pretty pointless (it doesn't even sound human, in fact it wouldn't sound out of place on my new Kraftwerk CD!), but what really annoys me is the Russian text when you choose the soviet sub - it's incredibly pointless and really lets the game down.

As sims go, 688 Attack Sub is quite tense and atmospheric, and there's a good challenge in there as well - I found that completing even the first real mission was quite difficult. If you're after something different and longer-lasting for your Megadrive, 688 Attack Sub is a must.

Presentation 61%
Pretty sparse in the way of presentation screens, and the inclusion of foreign text when playing the Russian sub is a real pain.

Graphics 81%
Nothing special, but the functional screens serve their purpose quite well.

Sound 79%
Robot-like sampled speech and sparse effects. No music at all.

Playability 86%
After a while controlling the sub is second nature and there's good fun to be had blowing away enemy ships and subs.

Lastability 85%
Plenty of tough and challenging missions to complete, with two difficulty levels and a choice of subs as well.

Overall 84%
A decent enough simulation, but lacking slightly in the thrill stakes to really hit the mark.