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Licensed from the Shin Nihon Kikaku Corp (or SNK for short) [And I can see why - Ed], this is the third in the than Warriors trilogy. After the futuristic combat of the still unconverted Victory Road (also to be produced by Imagine) this game takes place in the present day. The location is a tropical island where the people are oppressed by an evil tyrant (and no, it isn't the UK). Aiming to liberate the country is a battle-hardened mercenary (plus friend in two player mode).

Of course, no sooner than you land on the island's beaches than a horde of government troops open fire. Moving surprisingly spritely for someone with 50 grenades in their back pocket, plus an infinite supply of bullets, you return fire. Be careful not to hit hostages though, that loses you 500 points, while walking over them earns 1000 points. Also to be watched out for are the various glowing special weapons, which can be collected, and tanks. Carelessly left with the key still in the ignition these can be commandeered for a while, but watch out for mines!

At the end of each of the five levels there's a special baddie, requiring appropriate tactics, to dispose of. Simply getting to the first of these is no easy task. Enemy troops are both numerous and heavily armed. Given this difficulty of play, unexciting presentation and unoriginal gameplay this is a distinctly average release.

MARK ... 68%

Joysticks: Cheetah 125 Special, Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: wobbly sprites waddle around a distinctly blocky, play area
Sound: two decent 128K title tunes and adequate in-game explosive effects
Options: one or two players. Rotate or normal controls

'Ikari Warriors wasn't too bad a game concept, so an improved sequel had to be good news, hadn't it? Well, sound's good, with nice explosions and some tuneful 128K music, but the graphics are poor, with a dull, monochromatic playing area. The real problem, though, is the dubious collision detection and the way you can get trapped behind a fence - forcing you to restart game. This is still a fairly playable game, but could have been much better.'

'The only baddies this game tempts me to lob a grenade at are the programmers. The green blocks that break up the monochrome play area look silly, the sound is only adequate and the toughness is infuriating. Avoid.'