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Deeds of derring-do are in order as you are Roderick Hero the patron saint, rescuer and general folk hero of miners trapped by lava flows. With your trusty hoverpack you fly and walk around the intricately displayed levels of the mine looking for the lost men.

The shafts descend cavern by cavern with some horizontal offshoots. Bedraggled miners are found huddled at the corners. They unfortunately tend to blend in with the rock and can be difficult to see.

The path to your helpless friends is blocked by rock walls, vermin and scorching lava flows. To dispose of these you have six sticks of dynamite and a microlaser beam.

The explosives can be dropped to break through thin sections of rock or lava, but its all too easy to blow yourself up as well. Spiders, bats, flies and tentacles also bar your way and can be zapped with the laser.

You have to rescue one miner at each level. The first levels are very easy but as you progress the going gets a lot tougher and finding the right route to take is a matter of trial and error.

As a rule of thumb, when faced with a choice of shafts to descend, go down the one which is hardest to get to. The easy route will nearly always have dangers lurking in wait for the lazy adventurer.

The various caverns are lit by lanterns which go out when touched and leave you in near darkness. You can only see yourself and the vermin in this half-light but a bomb will momentarily light up the screen in a brilliant graphic effect as its fuse burns and then it explodes.

The red-hot walls, floors and ceilings turn you to smouldering charcoal but, in some places, rafts are provided to get you across rivers of molten lava.

Your power runs out during each level and you score points for how much you have left when you reach a miner, and for blowing up walls and zapping meanies.

If you run out of dynamite you can burn through walls using your laser but this takes much longer.

With 17 different levels this game is as good as any miner game - and has far more action.

I wasn't impressed by the graphics. They seemed unclear and ugly. But the idea behind the game is superb. Really original. Blowing up walls is great fun, and the sound when you light the fuse very authentic.

Arcade-adventures seem to be all the rage at the moment and this one offers plenty to do. You can race through the early levels, but it soon starts to get very challenging indeed.

One thing I don't understand. Why are half the games released this month located in mines?

A very enjoyable variation on the miner theme. Although the graphics were not the best quality I've seen on the C64, it didn't seem to matter - there were lives down there to be saved!

Guiding your hero through underground mines, rescuing miners trapped by volcanic activity may not sound incredibly intriguing. But H.E.R.O. certainly gets you going.

With the red lava walls, spooky creep crawlies and water-filled shafts, boy, you've got a problem! And if you're unlucky enough to flip a light switch on your way down, you'll end up negotiating a screen in total darkness.

Your man with his little helicopter backpack, dropping bombs and shooting creepies is a 'real hero' and when you finally reach a trapped miner, you get a wave of welcome (or something) - and onto the next level you go.

So, if you want to be a hero (or even a heroine), go for this offering from Activision.