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Mitral is a distant moon, once mined by exiled criminals. The mining has caused a build-up of gas beneath the moon's surface, which must be drawn off to prevent Mitral exploding.

The player explores the deserted moon in an excavation probe, finding gas pockets and placing drilling rigs in each of its 18 sectors. The action is displayed in filled 3D, using a first person perspective to view the entire panorama.

Mitral's topography is seen through a large window, with the probe's controls beneath. The vehicle has controllable speed and turn angle (effectively altering the step size between frame updates), and the probe's main body can also be tilted left or right, elevated or lowered to gain more visual information.

Mitral comprises large open squares surrounded by walls, blocks, buildings, steps, trenches and acid rivers. Laser beacons are also encountered and fire whenever approached. The probe's defensive shield provides some protection, but is entirely diminished by repeated hits. To survive, the probe either retreats out of range, moves behnd the beacon, or fires upon it with its own targetable lasers. Some beacons can also be neutralised by severing their power supplies.

For more mobile exploration, the probe docks with a reconnaissance jet when its hanger is found. As with other features, such as the teleporters, entry to the building is reliant upon solving a puzzle elsewhere in the sector. The jet is activated simply by docking the probe with its underside.

In the jet, the player is treated to an improved viewpoint and increased manoeuvrability: the jet goes up and down and flies above all but the tallest of Mitral's constructions. The craft can land at will, and hover. The jet's onboard lasers afford it some protection, its limited shield strength makes it vulnerable to attack.

When a potential gas pocket is located, a drilling rig is teleported down to Mitral's surface and positioned. Once the rig has penetrated the gas pocket, a read-out indicates how much of the gas has been released. A result of 50% or more means that the sector is safe. Points are awarded for successful gas extractions, and you can call up information on the total amount of gas tapped and sectors secured.

To increase the pressure, Mitral is in the path of an approaching meteor, which threatens to collide with the volatile gas-filled moon, causing it to explode violently. The player has just four real time hours to complete his mission.

A 32-page booklet explaining Driller and Freescape, plus a control summary card are provided in the packaging, and a cardboard model of Mitral is included for mapping purposes.

I must admit that I had reservations when I first saw Driller demonstrated, as it seemed to be very much in the Mercenary mould, except much slower. How wrong could I be?

The game is far more involving (yes, incredible but true), and has a large number of three dimensional problems to solve. These aren't usually just a case of finding the right doorway to walk through, but often involve examination of a whole area, an analysis of its active sections, and possibly some strategic lasering. The atmosphere is incredible, and is helped in no small way by the absolutely stunning soundtrack - without doubt one of the best ever. The game also features excellent in-game presentation, with such innovations as options to change the number of degrees the ship turns through each move, and a graphics update meter, so you know the screen is still being refreshed, even when it has to slow down for detailed scenes. You can't help feeling that Incentive has covered every detail...

After seeing other versions of Driller at the PCW show, I had my doubts about the forthcoming C64 version. It finally arrived and I saw it move. My doubts grew. Then I played it and it's absolutely captivating. I haven't had my imagination dragged into a game so much since playing Mercenary - and that's saying something.

The atmosphere created by the graphics and, in my opinion, the best soundtrack to appear this year is phenomenal. OK, Driller isn't the fastest game in the world, but this is only a minor handicap since the gameplay isn't dependent on moving quickly anyway. The game is polished, as user-friendly as possible, and incredibly interesting to play, with a myriad of perplexing puzzles and mysteries to unfold.

Go out and get Driller, and don't forget to buy a couple of gallons of Midnight oil, because you'll be burning plenty of it!

The only program ever to get close to simulating an entire 3D world was the vector graphic wonder Mercenary.

Now Driller has appeared, and takes the concept one stage further with filled-in graphics. The screen update looks remarkably slow, but when you're playing it feels quite fast, and doesn't at all impede progress. The graphics are truly outstanding, and generate a thoroughly convincing and realistic world. The player is given complete freedom to explore, and it's quite difficult to actually appreciate how far the program can be taken.

There are tiny nooks and crannies to squeeze through, and switches and secret passages are often found in the most unlikely of places. The puzzles are extremely well thought out, and are of the type you suddenly realise how to solve just when you're going to bed!

The 15 minute long soundtrack suits the action perfectly, and really adds to the atmosphere. Driller is a superb piece of software, and adds a whole new dimension to computer gaming. An absolute must.

Presentation 98%
Good documentation, excellent packaging, a user-friendly control system, plus the thankful addition of a game save option.

Graphics 97%
3D filled graphics, which are blocky, fairly rapid, but utterly convincing.

Sound 92%
A haunting 15 minute soundtrack helps to boost an already enthralling atmosphere.

Hookability 89%
Initial urge is one of exploration - and the lure is strong.

Lastability 93%
The 18 sectors are filled with logical but taxing puzzles, and should provide an enormous and entertaining on-going challenge.

Overall 96%
A unique 3D experience to be savoured at length.