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Dan Dare has come a long way since his exploits in The Eagle comic and the two earlier computer games. It seems all that fighting the Mekon and his many armies of green Treens has taken its toll on the 40-year-old hero. Dan the man has, amazingly enough, been captured by old Green Bonce and held on board a scientific satellite orbiting Venus.

Getting out his old jet pack, he bobs around the ship in search of an escape shuttle. One swift search later, one such vehicle is found but alas it's out of gas.

Dan is in a real fix now as there's no Four Star petrol pumps around, so it's back into the satellite to collect the necessary fuel cans (50 lbs worth), blast any aliens, and get out in time for a swift pint with Digby back on terra firma.

The station is made up of five levels. Each room has its own bunch of aliens pleading to be shot, some of which guard the teleporter leading to the next level. Going through teleporters (which look suspiciously like futuristic shower units!) is a real mind-bending trip as Dan soars through space, trying to keep in the confines of the onrushing Warp Gate. Wander out of them and energy is lost: lose too much and bang goes a life, sending you back where you started.

Locate the computer terminal and there's weapons to be bought: smart bombs, bouncing bombs, extra ammo for Dan's blaster, even the odd extra life. The aliens are quite friendly once they're dead because they give Dan cash with which to buy firepower. The many Mekon clones sitting around on each level are just as amicable, providing Dan can show them the finer subtleties of a blaster first!

Oh, and don't run out of jetpack fuel Dan, or you'll lose one of four lives. Dan Dare lose a life? That would upset your young (and old) fans no end!!

Dan Dare III was developed for the Spectrum by the people who wrote Savage and Trantor and, as you'd expect, it's a pretty spectacular game on that machine. But lots and lots of colour with minimal attribute clash is, thankfully, nothing special on the C64.

That leaves gameplay which, while initially quite fun, lacks the variety to keep you playing. The levels are just too samey. Nevertheless, as you'd expect, Nick Jones has produced an excellent conversion.

Smooth, multi-directional scrolling and some nice graphics promise a better game than is there.

Dan Dare's had a good run of games on the C64. The first one was excellent and the sequel wasn't bad either, offering a good mix of shoot-'em-up action and strategy.

Sadly, Dan Dare III doesn't live up to these high standards. The gameplay is too simple to sustain interest for very long: there's a distinct lack of interaction and variety. It's a real shame that the action is so similar on each level and this is more like a remake of Dan Dare II, only not as sophisticated.

The graphics are all pretty good though, with lots of colour splashed around and the shower-cum-teleporter is a great graphic. Despite its simplicity, gameplay is fun for a while, but £10 is too much for such a limited game.

Amiga Dan Dare should be with us very soon indeed, for £19.99.

Presentation 73%
Keyboard and redefine keys option, attractive star effect behind the credits, but no high-score table.

Graphics 80%
Excellent shading wherever you look, rapid scrolling, rewarding exposion effects and a fast-moving teleporting scene. Not all that varied later on though.

Sound 77%
A bouncy, modern title tune, together with a short but upbeat redefine-keys tune. A number of well done in-game FX.

Hookability 67%
A hard game to get into but mapping it out is rewarding.

Lastability 54%
Repetitive gameplay with little variety later on proves a major problem.

Overall 60%
If you liked the Dan Dare character (a heck of a lot!) you may 'dare' to spend a tenner on this one!