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For those of you who prefer life in the fast lane, 3D Deathchase from Micromega is an essential purchase.

The game is fast, simple, and addictive. The year is 2501. and you find yourself riding a powerful motorcycle through the forests of North America. Steering left with the 1 key and right with the 0 key, your task is to open the throttle, hunt down enemy riders at high speed and destroy them with your guided photon bolts.

Sounds exciting? It is, and it all takes place against some of the best three-dimensional graphics I've yet seen on the Spectrum.

There are eight sectors to be patrolled both by day and night, The trees loom up on the horizon and fly past as you roar in pursuit of the opposition, blasting away with any of the bottom row keys. The key layout is well thought out and enables you to concentrate on the game instead of your fingers.

As you progress through the different sectors the trees grow more numerous. Dodging them isn't easy and you only have three lives. You lose a life after each collision.

Deathchase is a 100% action game, and this is perhaps my only criticism. There are no tactics involved and only two speed controls: accelerate or brake. You can only fire when going as fast as possible. In any other game this lack of variety would soon see the cassette gathering dust in a dark corner, but the impressive realism of the display is enough to tempt you back for another go. Put it this way, every time I hit a tree it brought tears to my eyes.