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Ripping your game from the all-promising cover art of the package of this Defender type game, you read: "Aquatron - the best of both air, and sea arcade classics, together in one game".

Sounds good, eh?

Things looking up, in goes the disc, on goes the power, the drive whirrs in that unique way, briefly a title screen appears and mild confusion sets in as the demo mode takes command. That demo, by the way, can provide hours of amusement, watching friends setting their high scores only to be told that they had no more control over the game than you have over your fits of laughter.

What's wrong with a little sadistic fun now and then?

To enjoy the game outside the demo, reading the instructions is not necessary. Aquatron is one of those games where you can just sit down and have a good old hack at anything that moves.

However, the game has a complexity not obvious at first. To reach any kind of score and to enjoy the game to the full, it is essential to look through the instructions at least once.

Deserted on an ocean-covered planet with only a base ship as an ally, you are seated at the controls of a mobile fighter. This can cruise over or under the ocean waves in a battle which moves between a blaze in the skies and a submarine hunt in the depths.

Survival relies on capturing or destroying enemy craft. You have blasters, proximity missiles and shields. Ramming the enemy is very effective, but depletes the shields.

The game is over when your shields are gone and there are no base ships left. If only the former is true, the base ship is forfeited for a new fighter.

No two enemies have the same tactic. The nine different enemies are gradually phased in as you progress through the 10 different levels. Thus the play calls for an ever-changing approach - becoming bored does not figure in this game.

The playing area is very large - two screens deep and 32 screens wide. The fighter is equipped with hyperdrive, allowing quick access to the distant sectors. A sector map lies at the bottom of the screen. Each sector is shown as containing yourself, another vessel, or being empty.

On either side of the map are indicator scales, one for the shields and one for the proximity missiles. Both are replaced at the end of each level or when a parachute is intercepted from the base ship. A new base ship is earned very 20,000 points - not easy.

The game demands a joystick, although control via the keyboard is supposedly possible. The special features are all there - freeze action, multiple players, a high score table of "Aquatron Warriors", and so on.

The graphics are good, and the animation superb. The attention to detail is admirable, notably the splashes as objects hit the water. What makes things even more impressive is the speed at which it all happens. The sound effects are not outstanding but are adequate.

Aquatron seems to have everything that a good arcade game should have. It has certainly proved popular among friends. I'm not sure why it hasn't become a personal favourite.

Perhaps I'm looking for something a little more original, but I can recommend it for Defender fanatics.