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"Not another helicopter game!" I hear you all cry. Cheer up, because this isn't just another chopper game.

In your Combat Lynx helicopter you must protect your army's land bases from the hostile ground attacks and yourself from the enemy's helicopters and jets.

You need to start by getting used to the numerous key controls of the game, all of which can be redefined. Your copter starts at base zero which is one of three to six bases depending on the skill level. At base 0, you need to arm yourself with the weapon systems that the Lynx can carry.

This is done in a separate mode where the craft and systems are shown in marvellous detail. Once armed, you can take off in search of hostiles and this is where the excellence of the program literally displays itself.

As you move across the attractive green scenery, it undulates in hills and valleys, scrolling beneath you in stunning 3D. On this background appear houses, trees, ground vehicles and aircraft and the occasional crashed helicopter if you don't watch your height.

The area of land you can fly around is so large that you won't even find the edges of the map in a normal game. A larger area of the map can be viewed and shows any friendly or hostile force nearby and the contour of the land. You can also scroll around display to find the nearest enemy or base.

The instrument panel below the display provides information on the status of your craft and its weapons. This includes height, temperature, speed and status of each of six weapons. The weapon you wish to use is selected by moving a cursor above the one required.

Also shown are various messages on the status of your bases and warnings of imminent missile attack.

Despite all this detail and information, your task is a straightforward one and once familiarised with the controls you can buzz around the battle zone hunting down tanks, guns, lorries, helicopters and jets.

It still takes perseverance to get to grips with the program though, so the less determined may find it a hard game to get into. My initial doubts over the game's plavability were completely overcome - I now find rocketing tanks is a great pastime when you want to relax.

I wasn't too happy with the display on this game. The landscae is a bit repetitive and the targets you get out to destroy don't look all that impressive. However, it's hard to complain when you consider the enormous amount of programming that must have gone into providing 3D scrolling on a Spectrum, and the effect is certainly impressive.

I think that the scope of the game is tremendous, although it took me quite a time to get the hang of the controls. Normally with a game this difficult to play I would tend to give up in disgust, but the challenges you have to face were sufficient incentive for me to keep going. Definitely a game that needs - and rewards - practice.

The view of the scrolling landscape is remarkable. It's done by drawing a series of lives against a green background and then moving them forward. The effect of hills and valleys rolling toward you - quite different from anything achieved before.

Although it's not claimed to be a fully authentic flight simulator, the range of controls and weapons open to you do give it a realistic feel.

The scope of the game is as ambitious as the graphics. There's so much for the player to do - choose weapons, explore the landscape, use map coordinates, decide tactics, track down enemy targets. Some people won't be single-minded enough to ever get to grips with all this - or with the huge number of control keys - some thirty in all. If you don't like complex games, steer well clear.

For those who've got the time to get involved, I think it'll prove very special.