Ever heard the phrase "a quart in a pint pot"? Well, it can best be used when describing the unlikely conversions of past Sega coin-ops over to humble machines like the C64, Spectrum and Atari ST. As Sega were wowing arcade-goers with speedy spritefests like Space Harrier, After Burner and Power Drift, owners of little home machines awaited conversions they hoped would capture the look and feel of the arcade game. Some hope.

As such, C64 owners made do with a version of Power Drift without the original's rotational scrolling, Spectrum owners were chuffed(ish) with a wireframe Ferrari in OutRun, and ST owners didn't bother buying Galaxy Force II because it was so crap. Now, however, in these days of 32-bit plug-ins, our home machines are more than capable of recreating the great coin-ops of the 80s. Which is why Sega have converted After Burner and its Top Gun-style tomfoolery to the 32X lock-on, stock and barrel. At least I suppose that's why they've done it.

Fans of the aging Sega coin-op will be well chuffed to learn that every pixel of the original has made it to the Glade Mushroom lookalike. From the take-off on the good ship After Burner, the game faithfully recreates the canyons, forests and nightscapes of the arcade game. Similarly, the re-arming and re-fuelling screens have made it across, as have the post-stage interludes where the OutRun car makes a sneaky cameo appearance.

Video-gaming is in danger of becoming swamped in pointless nostalgia. First, the SNES homage to Space Invaders, now this. Eight years ago, After Burner's gameplay was as substantial as a jet engine's exhaust. Quelle surprise! The years have not been kind.

It's a fiddly, unrewarding, and now unconvincing, game. It doesn't impress technically either. Star Wars Arcade is the shoot-'em-up to go for.

Am I missing the point here, or was the 32X supposed to herald a new age in video-gaming? If so, then just why is a dated game like After Burner one of the first titles for it? The original coin-op was a very shallow affair which, if it wasn't for the hydraulic casing and fancy sprites, would have been dismissed as just another fast-moving but repetitive blast.

As such, whilst it is indeed an accurate conversion, I fail to see why we are supposed to be impressed by an eight-year-old game. On equal terms of playability, there are versions of this for the Megadrive and Master System for less cash, making this a redundant conversion.

Graphics 85%
All the fast-moving sprites and detailed backdrops of the coin-op. Arcade perfect, in fact.

Sound 76%
Bangs and whizzes galore, and rather weak versions of the tunes and ditties.

Playability 74%
It's fast-moving and enemy flak is plentiful. There are loads of levels to keep you busy...

Lastability 47%
...Sadly, most of them are pretty much the same, with little method to the action.

Value For Money 42%
Not the most auspicious of starts for a new piece of kit!

Overall 53%
Yes it is indeed arcade perfect, but some eight years old, dated and shallow.