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In this conversion of the fantastic Sega coin-op, you must negotiate the five horizontally scrolling levels which lead down to the Underworld where the evil arch-villain Nelf is holding the beautiful Athena captive, disposing of the Dark One's army of undead warriors on your travels.

Every so often a pulsating creature appears on screen; when killed it emits a floating orb which gives extra fighting power when collected. Collecting three of these orbs on any one level disturbs your molecular structure, causing a transformation into a were-creature, including a wolf, a dragon or bear. Each one possesses a powerful weapon with which to thwart the rampaging demonic onslaught.

Sorry, did I say rampaging? What I meant was slow, cumbersome and awkward. Control of your character is a chore due to the sluggish joystick response. The graphics are colourful and the sound is impressive, consisting of clear, crisp coin-op samples and accurate renditions of the original tunes. But unfortunately, all the presentation in the world cannot make up for Altered Beast's shortfalls - it's slow to play and there aren't many levels.

Fans of the arcade game might glean some enjoyment from the action, but others might be disappointed by the lack of levels and slow gameplay.

All the features of the arcade game, but the gameplay is slow and the controls are sluggish.

Apart from a drop in sound quality and inferior sideways scrolling, the ST version is exactly the same as its Amiga counterpart, and the same comments apply.

A reasonably accurate conversion - try it out if you enjoyed it in the arcades.