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This is another game in Mastertronic's £1.99 range, games which have so far earned a bit of a reputation for not being worth the price of the blank tape they're recorded on. So what's this one like?

Well, the scenario isn't bad. You play the part of Harry, trying to escape from the prison, and you must first move around the camp collecting escape equipment such as ladders, ropes, as well as something which looks remarkably like an apple.

You search also for some secret files, whose location you are told at the start of the game. Having done all this you then negotiate a minefield which has sprouted up from apparently nowhere and slip through a hole in the fence to freedom.

You move from place to place a la Atic Atac and each location is quite nicely drawn, depicting guard towers and cell blocks.

Harry's animation however, is fairly jerky and he looks more like he's performing a song and dance act than walking. Movement is not particularly fast either, and waiting for him to cross a screen gets pretty tedious.

Nor is the sound anything to write home about, the tinny beepings being a positive annoyance at times and not adding anything to the game.

Alcatraz Harry has four skill levels which all appear remarkably similar, and after a few games the appeal wears pretty thin.

It's a pretty simplistic game and there's really not a lot to tell you about, which isn't too surprising when you remember the price. You get what you pay for - not an awful lot.

I suppose I've been spoiled by games like Atic Atac and Sabre Wulf, but I believe that unless an arcade adventure is outstanding it's barely worth considering.

Alcatraz Harry doesn't cut it. The graphics are pretty poor (although considering they're produced from Basic, the programmer does deserve a favourable mention) and sound, frankly, is dreadful.

The concept is fine but the implementation leaves a lot to be desired. I'm sorry Mastertronic, but unless you start producing some better games, you are going to come to a sticky end.

This is bound to suffer because it is released in the Mastertronic £1.99 range. "Who can possibly produce a game for two quid?"

But Mastertronic has managed it. Some of the graphics lack imagination (and Harry's style of running annoyed me), the sound is average with some good tunes. The plot is inventive and requires thought.

The control keys are in good positions and the on-screen instructions are clear and concise.

Really it's hard to criticise a game of quality at such a low price.