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Eights as an easy-to-learn card game of strategy for two players - you and the computer. The computer is of course master dealer, scorekeeper and opponent. We are told that the computer does in no way cheat, he just sees how many cards you've got and no further and, if he did cheat, he would win every time. He plays too damn well anyway.

The game is as follows. Each player has seven cards. Player one discards his first card and then player two must follow the same suit or denomination as the card just played. If the player cannot go, he must draw cards from the deck until he can, or until no more cards are left. There is no limit to the number of cards that you may draw from the pack, so if you want to cheat...

Eights are played as wild, so if you lay down an eight, the suit can be changed so the player can plan out his moves and hopefully get rid of all his cards before his opponent and thus win a round. The score of each round is determined by the value of the cards in the defeated hand, with eights worth 50 points as they are so valuable. The overall winner is the first one to a hundred, but the computer will not give up easily.

The simple instructions will enable any anti-card game supporter to reverse his ways and get addicted. On your turn, you enter first of all the value of the card - e.g. A for Ace, Q for Queen, 6 for Six, etc and then the suit - H for Hearts, C for Clubs and so on. The computer then checks that this card exists in your hand. If it does, then the computer takes his go, and so on. If you cannot go, by simply pressing D you draw a card from the pack or if there are no cards left, X to skip your turn.

The played cards are represented in graphic form at the centre of the screen and your hand is shown at the bottom, just detailing the cards. The cards are good, although not as sharp as they could have been and also the suits could have pointed both ways up as in real playing cards, and not just upwards as on the screen.

Some neat little tricks are included, with BEEPing to remind you that it is your go, the sounds of the shuffling and dealing of the pack and the four levels of play make Eights an exciting and intelligent game that is hard to stop playing once started. The computer plays a skilled game, even at the easiest level. A good buy for any card gamester. The good thing about it is that you don't have to beg somebody to play cards with you - just switch on the computer and TV, get a couple of drinks ready and you're away.