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Joining the gang or urban beat-'em-ups is this little number, which boasts "remarkable graphics and animation, plus digitised sounds and stirring music". Well, that bit of spiel from the packaging is best taken with a hefty pinch of salt and a glass of water, but this first release from Silmarils certainly shows potential.

In the game, you take control of Inspector Harry, a vice squad cop with a mission to track down and dispose of every kilogram of dope being peddled on the streets of Manhattan. Each area is displayed in a kind of 3D, so you can walk into and out of the screen - a feature which adds quite a bit to the feel of the game.

The only problem is you can't walk straight up or down the screen for some reason, so you end up doing silly things like walking lamp posts. In between stumbling over fire hydrants, Harry gets his kicks from beating seven shades of sunlight out of drug-pushing hoods. Four types of kick and two punches are at Harry's disposal, but in a clinch you're more likely to keep the bad guys occupied with repeated jabs and high kicks.

When they finally expire, certain hoods leave behind packets of drugs which Harry has to take to a brazier and burn, regaining vital energy in the process.

There is quite a variety of opponents, which range from chain-wielding punks through whip-crackin' women to enraged home-owners who hurl household items in your direction. There're even a couple of Ninja-types in there. Where would we be without 'em?

As this sort of game goes, Manhattan Dealers really isn't too bad. In fact, the only weak points are the features which the packaging claims are so great. The animation has its moments, but you only have to shuffle Harry across the screen to see that there could have been more work done there. The digitised sound is pretty pathetic, and the music wouldn't stir a cup of weak tea. The gameplay is very easy to get into though, because it is simplistic, and yet the many different opponents save the game from becoming too boring. I did groan when I started the second level only to find that the graphics were the same as the first, but there are more often than not two baddies beating you up simultaneously on each screen, so you're not going to be left hanging around.

It's not the greatest game of its type, and at £20 it could hardly be called cheap, but if you're a fan of digitised violence Manhattan Dealers is probably worth a quick look.