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Now that Activision are closing their UK programming arm, this translation of URL's coin-op looks like it will be one of their last arcade conversions, with the fate of R-Type II currently hanging in the balance.

In Atomic Robo-Kid you play the large-nosed cybernaut, who seems to be pretty unpopular amongst the inhabitants of this part of the galaxy and he is constantly beset by hordes of alien beasts out to fry his circuits. In such circumstances there is only one option open - blast 'em out of existence!!

Every so often power-up crystals appear, giving Kid additional speed, or one of four powerful weapons - a mahoosive laser cannon, which fires large bursts of atomic energy, a three way needle laser, atomic missiles with a large destruction radius, and a five way beam cannon.

Atomic Robo-Kid didn't exactly set the arcades on fire when released, but was still a fun shoot-'em-up to play, with jolly graphics and sound. Now it's on the Amiga, and pretty much the same story applies.

The graphics are true enough to the coin-op, with some very nice sprites and backdrops, but the parallax-scrolling screen chugs along a little sluggishly, and the action slows down noticeably when the screen fills up. The sound is what you'd expect from a game of this nature (boom, bang, etc) and is nothing to write home about, although the title music is pretty swish.

Overall, not a bad game, but it's overpriced and the above-average skill level makes it a no-no for novice blasters. If you're up to it, take a look, but don't expect too much.