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Fans of action and adventure games now get the best of both worlds with the launch of a double-tape game.

The pack consists of two cassettes. One with an action arcade-type game and another with an adventure. This idea is not new, but Phoenix software has added a new twist. You cannot load the adventure without the code, which you can only get by mastering the arcade game first.

The first release in this series is for the Dragon and goes under the name Death Mines Of Sirus.

A feature of the cassette system on the Dragon is the ability to record speech or music and play it through the television. This can be activated by the remote control from the recorder. Phoenix is the first company which I have seen make use of this and it works amazingly.

Once the game is loaded, you are greeted with the theme music from 2001. Then, if you want the instructions, the music is played again as backing.

This, unfortunately, is the best part of the game. The action game proper is little more than a lunar lander. It is in black and white, and it flickers badly.

You and Captain Phoenix, say the instructions, must land your drone ship on the four pads at the bottom of the screen. Once you have done this you have to transport the aliens which inhabit the planet back to the top of the screen a better place.

You have to complete all 12 skill levels of the action game before you can proceed to the adventure. At the end of each level you are given a clue which will help you later on.

When you have mastered the first cassette, you will be given a code to load part one of the adventure. This consists of a four letter code, and there are narely half a million combinations.

On loading the first part of the adventure - there are two - you are asked for the loading code. You are then told to press Enter but this does not matter. The game itself is slow. Very slow.

It's quite easy to get killed, and I found it annoying that I was asked to enter the loading code each time I wanted to play again.

The Adventure is fairly standard and uninteresting, I'm afraid. The loading sequence, though, is great.

The package comes in a posh plastic case containing two cassettes, with a total price of £9.99 from Phoenix, based in Pinner, Middlesex.