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Surprises don't come much more extreme than the one you've just had. The other day you were trotting into hospital ready for your tonsil operation. Dead easy you thought, just a couple of days with a sore throat.

It came as a bit of a shock to wake up in a new body on a different planet.

Since you're trapped, you decide you might as well sign up with the Queen's Cloned Highlanders troopers.

Your first mission involves you fighting your way through the multi-level enemy base, alone or with your partner (you need two players if you want to win), to destroy the master computer. Passcodes and switch systems, open doorways and operate lifts.

By the way, the mission is said to be impossible. Nice thought, eh?

The intro piece to Captain Fizz is brilliant, with a very well drawn title screen backed with some amazing music. Unfortunately, the game fails to live up to the standard of the loader.

The graphics are very weak, consisting ot a few rather meagre sprites moving through boring mazes. I wouldn't mind if the gameplay made up for the weak presentation, but it doesn't.

It's dull. The shoot-'em-up bits aren't exciting enough and the puzzles aren't mind-taxing. I've come to expect more from Psyclapse than this.

I reckon that a puzzle game should rely on devious and mind-boggling situations that require plenty of thought. Unfortunately, Captain Fizz lacks the necessary depth to keep you occupied, trying to rely on blasting action to make up for the simplicity of its puzzles.

This wouldn't be so bad if the blasting was fast and frenetic, but it isn't - it's just slow. It does get quite involved the more you get into it, but I can see a lot of players getting fed up long before then - especially when you really *have* to play it in pairs.

Presentation 55%
Great intro piece but poor in-game appearance with long messages that you can't speed up.

Graphics 38%
Small and poorly animated sprites, repetitive backdrops.

Sound 59%
Amazing loading tune but poor in-game effects.

Hookability 43%
Pretty boring from the word go.

Lastability 39%
Not enough to keep even the most ardent puzzlers and blasters occupied.

Overall 40%
A sub-standard search game from a company that has given us much better.