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Rommel is once more on the prowl in this pseudo strategy game set in the North African desert. Your mission is to secure fuel dumps before the German troops reach them but there are many perils on the way.

The game is icon-driven in map mode with action screens where necessary. The map shows the supply of dumps and Rommel's position. Selecting the Zoom icon allows you to check the fuel dumps to see when a German attack is expected and you mut reach that dump before they do. In your path lie hazards such as Stuka plane or Tiger tank attacks, minefields, ambushes and convoy attacks.

Moves are made by selecting the radio icon which will tell you the hazards which you can expect in your chosen direction. This is communicated in synthesised speed which consists of single words such as Stuka, Tiger or Rommel.

As you meet an obstacle the screen switches to the relevant action screen. For the Stuka and Tiger attacks you must destroy all of the tanks or planes before they destroy you. Their attacks come from all sides and a radar scope shows their current position. By rotating the tank, you can bring them into view and start trying to blast them off the planet. Of course, they strike back and a damage panel records how much of a beating you have taken.

When your energy runs low, you can restore the level by reaching a dump or by entering a minefield if supplies are too far away. The minefield is a desperate move because you can cause more damage that you repair if you drive over a mine instead of blasting it with your gunfire.

If an ambush is reached, you have to drive down a straight canyon blasting mortar as you go until you reach the end. This is a rather boring phase and I soon tried my best to avoid ambushes wherever possible.

Convoy attacks can be useful if you win the battle. One of your supply convoys is under attack from enemy aircraft which are, in turn, being attacked by spitfires. Shooting down enemy planes scores points but hitting a spitfire loses you three times this amount. Scoring over a certain amount determined by the level of play allows you to buy time for a preselected dump.

There are day, night, dusk and dawn sequences running through the game. The enemy are easily spotted in the day but as night falls, they blend more with the background and become difficult to see.

Rommel will hunt you down as you travel and if you meet him pray that you have taken little damage. His tank takes eight hits before it is destroyed and his driver goes like a maniac. A nice, fat bonus awaits the victor of this duel but few heroes survive.

Fans of Beach Head will probably enjoy this game though I must say that Desert Fox is nowhere near as challenging. Personally, I was not really impressed with the gameplay though; the graphics are very well done indeed.