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Paul Woakes' debut game Encounter has been out on budget for some time now but, as all veteran C64'ers know, it was Mercenary that accelerated him to 'super-programmer' status. In it you star as a spacefarer stranded on the planet Targ: your task is to escape.

Unfortunately you're a bit short of cash and your last spaceship is splattered all over the planet's surface. Working in the local McDonald's to buy another ship will take about a million years so you decide to be a bit more adventurous. As it happens, the planet Targ is a battlefield for the forces of the rival Palyars and Mechanoids. Accompanied by your personal computer Benson, who provides an inventory and occasional sarcastic comments, you set out to find vital hardware which can be sold to either side.

The wireframe 3D used to represent the planet and its many buildings, monuments and underground bunkers is surprisingly rapid. It trashes Elite and Echelon, and even overshadows Moonfall! It's fun simply exploring the city, blasting various things to see what the reaction is. But when you *do* decide to get on with your escape attempt you're quickly drawn into the affairs of the planet and the overall task quickly becomes a minor concern. Involved sub-plots with numerous mini-missions for the two warring sides are good fun. Then there's the mysteries of locked doors, teleporters, a floating spaceship and a variety of craft to test drive ensure you stay on Targ. As you progress you realise there's various ways of escaping, some more complex than others, thankfully there is a save/load function.

In Issue 11(!), Mercenary earned a massive 99% for lastability and an overall mark of 98%. Julian called it "the best computer game ever to be written", Sean had "absolutely no criticism to make of it" and Gaz Penn proclaimed it to be "one of the most exciting releases ever to appear on the C64". With an immense challenge, vast area to explore and all crammed into one load, Mercenary is still, as the original review summed it up, "a classic".

It won't appeal to absolutely everyone, combat is minimal, but anyone who fancies exploring a mystery packed planet will love it.