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Playing Escape From Moonbase Alpha is not a simple matter. Before you can go ahead with the game, the people from Micro Power take you through a substantial sequence of introduction to all the main characters who may play a part in the coming adventure. There are demons, metal maulers, the Green Grappler and Deadly Doris. These however are bit parts. The starring roles belong to the player (alias Joey on screen), the Wizard and the Doctor.

As luck would have it, your mutinous crew have left you stranded on Moonbase Alpha. The Doctor, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the television time-lord, holds the key to your escape but he requires ten bags of gold before he is willing to co-operate.

Life is pretty difficult for Joey as he wanders about the 3D rooms of the moonbase. The room, his strength, number of Hulk pills and bags of gold, are all displayed below the room display.

At various, always inappropriate moments, the Wizard appears with an accompanying ping (like a spoon on a glass). When Joey runs into the Wizard he gets a Hulk pill which comes in handy when fighting since it doubles the strength for five seconds before restoring one third original strength. Pills cost gold and the Frog sometimes gets mixed up in this transaction.

Also making intermittent appearances (with a rather unrealistic sound effect) is the Police Box, which acts remarkably like the Tardis. On bumping into this, Joey is transported at random to one of the other rooms on his present level. It must be remembered that the Doctor is somewhere on level seven.

Success seems to rest on how much gold Joey can pick up in his journey. When he jumps on the swag bags they whistle into the air and come down the slot into the store. During the course of the game you may well find that your deadliest enemy is Marvin the robot who, if not stopped or avoided, will bore Joey to death at the rate of ten strength points per second. The sound effects are pretty god but what mainframe let alone micro could do justice to the great Marvin.

This certainly proved to be an enjoyable game to play although it is a bit difficult at first. Controls involve using the G, H, Y, B keys for movement left, right, away and towards. P takes the gold and T the Hulk pills. Despite the difficulty, the brilliant graphics - the Doctor's scarf is a case in point - the sound and ease of use, make this a highly entertaining and addictive game.

Dave Reeder