Now here's a really different game! You may not think that a 3D maze game could be different - but Gyron, the latest full price game from Firebird, most definitely is.

The idea of the game is to penetrate the defences of a vast maze-like structure created by a sorceror scientist to protect his knowledge. The maze is confusing enough on its own - but the sorceror also decided to make it deadly by constructing laser towers to zap any intruders.

Faced with this formidable task, the sorceror's enemies gathered to discuss just how they could break into the system. The result was a Hedroid - a remote controlled probe robot armed with a high-intensity optical laser.

And this is where you come in! Take control of the Hedroid, guide it through the deadly maze and discover the sorceror's secrets - which is not as easy as it sounds.

The Hedroid can be damaged by collisions with the walls - and can be totally wiped out by the giant Prisoner-type "rovers" which trundle through the maze.

The laser towers are multi-directional - and totally featureless when viewed from the outside. Fortunately, your Hedroid is armed with radar and it can check out which way the lower is likely to be pointing its deadly weapon. You can either destroy the tower or make it turn by zapping it with the Hedroid's laser.

The screen display shows a main view of the maze - plus an image of the Hedroid itself which changes colour as you progress through the various zones of the maze, a "viability" or energy indicator plus a radar screen illustrating your surroundings.

Colour bars of red and green which appear at the sides of the main display are used to indicate side passages - your Hedroid can only see in the direction it is facing.

You can control the Hedroid using a joystick or keyboard - user-definable keys are a feature of the game too!

Gyron is an immensely challenging game and - just to make it more interesting - Firebird are offering a Porsche 924 or cash equivalent as a prize for the first person who cracks the Necropolis maze version of the game first.

You notice I said Necropolis version. On the B-side of the tape there will be an easier version of the game called the Atrium. This is great for practising - or for those of you who like a faster game. But no prizes for solving it!

Oh yes - there is a time limit built into the hard version. Expert opinion says that if you've spent around 20 minutes trying you might as well start another game!

Graphics are vector-line style. But don't let the simplicity fool you. The programmers, two mathematicians and two computer boffins, have developed a neat way of moving things behind other things on screen - if you follow me! Just watch the giant robot rovers and you'll see what I mean.

Once you've got the hang of driving the Hedroid around the maze - and it does take a bit of getting used to - you'll be hooked. Don't fail to have a look at Firebird's best full price game yet.