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Do you remember those Sunday afternoons with a pencil and a piece of paper, shouting out strange oaths such as "E7 - hit!" followed by a stream of abuse? You do? Then you'll recognise this release from Encore. Yes, Battle Ships has finally made it onto our screens! The rules are much the same as the pen and paper/board game versions, using a grid to judge firing positions, with various additions.

These include a 3D sequence displaying the firing of your shots, graphical representations of ships sinking and a multi-player option, consisting of a series of games on a 'winner stays on' basis. If a second player is unavailable, then you can take on the computer in a head-to-head contest.

As this has never been previously released (though there were full price plans), Encore is an appropriately named label for Battle Ships; however, at least the price is right (no Leslie Crowther jokes, please).

The standard game of battleships may be very old indeed, but Encore's computerised version proves there's life in an ancient concept. The computer opponent provides a good challenge, but the rivalry in a two-player game is even more fun.

A number of salvos involve more miss than hit, and the choice of target squares is frequently random, but the playability of this revamp of an extremely old classic shines through. At two pounds, it's certainly worth a look.

During my younger days, I used to spend hours shoving plastic pegs into a board shouting "Hit" or "Miss", only giving up when most of the plastic pegs had been lost, so this release from Elite's new budget label brought back many memories.

Battle Ships is an excellent implementation of the original game, adding enough extras to make it interesting but keeping the traditional format so that it doesn't get confusing.

The multi-player option is a good idea and provides an opportunity for some ego inflating! If you think that Battle Ships is a stale idea or, even if you just lost the board game pieces, check out this little number!

Presentation 79%
Good layout plus a good multi-player mode.

Graphics 68%
Nothing astounding, but they portray the action adequately.

Sound 61%
Average music and a few effects.

Hookability 83%
A doddle to get into and difficult to resist.

Lastability 65%
The multi-player option should increase its longevity.

Overall 81%
Surprisingly more than just a trip down memory lane.