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What do you get when you cross Operation Wolf with Commando? One mean mutha of a shoot 'em up that goes by the name of Cabal, that's what. An' I can tell ya somethin' fer nuthin' pilgrims, you're gonna need every Armalite you can lay yer hands on if yer gonna break this son of a gun!

Cabal is five different levels of combat divided into four sub levels - each level jam-packed with tanks, helicopters, planes and of course machine gun fodder for you to carve up and spit out all over the 20 battle zones.

The main sprite lurks at the bottom of the screen moving from left to right as your joystick dictates. Just above his head is a big cross hair that moves around the war arena highlighting your chosen targets. When the fire button is held down the joystick moves your sight and when released, movement returns to the veteran. Nice, simple stuff eh?

During the game the marauding soldiers throw up all manner of objects including extra guns, lives and bombs, but be careful because they also darken the skies with lobbed grenades that lie dormant for a few seconds before attempting to spread you all over the war theatre!

Precautions against premature death can be taken by simply hiding behind walls and barrels and firing from safety. After you complete each four levels it's time to face the real toughies and a surprise 'guardian'.

Cabal's game play is very simple, but equally addictive. Some great sound of machine gun fire and explosions make it entertaining enough to persevere through a slightly muddled playing area. The graphics are well animated with nice colours, even if the soldiers are a little bland, and slick. A very entertaining game and recommended buying - go for it!

Label: Hit Squad Memory: 48K/128K Price: £3.99 Tape, N/A Disk Reviewer: Steve Keen

Good scrolling and control make Cabal easy to play, lack of definition of the main sprite doesn't. Still great fun and worth a buy.