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There are fast-moving graphic games and slow, absorbing adventure games. Escape From Moonbase Alpha successfully combines some of the features of both.

The game has 3D (perspective) colour graphics and makes sensible use of sound. Joey has been abandoned on Moonbase Alpha by his mutinous crew. His only hope of escape is meeting the Doctor, hidden somewhere on level seven, who for ten bags of gold will transport him off the base in his Tardis.

The base is arranged on seven levels, nine rooms per level in a three by three arrangement. You control Joey using a sensible arrangement of keys and can actually see him move around the screen and from room to room.

To help Joey in his quest, bags of gold were deposited in certain rooms for him to collect. As well as essential for paying the Doctor, they increase his strength. He has a limited supply of hulk pills, which double his strength momentarily, thus allowing him to fight the more vicious monsters (more about those later) and to walk through walls; however, he pays for these privileges by a large forfeit in his overall strength. There is a wizard who will sell him a hulk pill or turn him back from a frog (mind you, he is never around when he is needed) and there's even a police box which will transport Joey to a random room on the same level.

There are many hazards for Joey to struggle against - Marvin, the manicly-depressed robot (from the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy), who bores him to death; the Metal Mauler (a Dalek), who tries to exterminate him; the Green Grappler, an over-grown frog, who reacts similarly to the Metal Mauler; and Deadly Doris (alias Evil Edna), a crazy TV set which, is she cannot kill Joey, will turn him into a frog.

The hazards make it an interesting game that will take you a while to get bored with; however, the instructions are long and appear as a program in themselves, and so are not available for reference once you've started the game. It would have been better to have them as a printed sheet.

Verdict - highly recommended.

Stuart Menges