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Anyone who's played squash knows that it's one of the most dangerous sports in the world. The small, very hard ball hits the racquet (and invariably you) with the speed of a ricocheting bullet. But now you can participate in a one- or two-player game in the comfort of your own armchair with Jahangir Khan's World Championship Squash!

The game begins with a series of menu screens. Choices available include ball colour (blue, yellow or red for different standards of play), saving and loading games, practising and competing in either League or World Championship games.

The rules of the game are quits simple: the court is rectangular and divided into two halves, one for each player. There's a square shaped service box at the front of each half, from which the serving player whacks the ball against the opposite wall. This is marked about halfway up with a line called the Cut; to serve a successful shot the ball must hit the wall above the Cut and fall squarely in the opponents half of the court. (Confused? I am.) The opponent, on the other hand, can let the ball hit any of the walls (and risk decapitation), but it can only hit the floor once.

Points are scored if your opponent fails to hit the speeding projectile. If the ball doesn't fall in your opponent's part of the court, they score (simple, eh?).

The game makes allowances for beginners with an option that gives normal or easy control - in normal, your joystick movements as you hit the ball determine its direction, whereas in easy all you do is hit fire, and the Speccy decides in what direction and with how much power the hall is returned.

Apart from Jonah Barrington's Squash, I haven't seen a Speccy squash simulation. Depending on the colour chosen (blue is bounciest), the ball spangs; off the walls at suicidal speeds, and it takes many a game to be in the right place at the right time to hit the little thing. Character movement is sadly on the slow side but all is not gloom and oom - once mastered, Jahangir Khan's World Squash is a playable game.

MARK ... 70%

'Squash has never been a popular game for computer conversion, unlike tennis or football. So it's a novelty when a game like this comes along. The characters that represent each player are small but the game is detailed, with crowd scenes and excellent presentation, including some impressive full colour screens. Timing your swipes so that you actually hit the ball takes some practice but after a little while you can soon be banging away and beating the pants off your opponent. Jahangir Khan World Championship Squash makes a refreshing change from going down the courts and sweating buckets in a real game.'