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Highway Encounter meets Knight Lore.

Bombscare is not original but it is a technically very prficient program at a budget price.

The Highway influence is the strongest. Some of the objects, like little grey pyramids seem directly stolen from the game. More generally, the style of the monsters, central figure and the flooring all have a familiar ring.

Bombscare is all about defusing a bomb, planted by an alien intelligence, in the goodie base. You control Arnold, another one of those cutesy named robots that populate computer games.

Defusing the bomb involves collecting and using objects. You can hold up to five and have to figure out what does what. Pretty much par for the course, really.

Each room in the base is filled to the brim with aliens which wizz back and forth and are to be avoided. There are transporters but before you can use them you need a security code that represents where you want to go. Getting it requires more investigation. Personally, I think it's going to need a computer, I expect there is one somewhere around.

I found some of the screens a bit similar and there really isn't anything too original.

The programming is slick however, the design and animation of the aliens is very smooth.

Whatever criticisms one might make about the plot this is way above the usual quality of budget programs and I wouldn't have put it past some other companies to have put this one out for full price.

Label: Firebird Author: J Bond Price: £1.99 Joystick: Kempston, Cursor Memory: 48K/128K Reviewer: Graham Taylor

*****

Excellent graphically, with smooth 3D graphics. And the budget tag more than compensates for lacklustre plot.