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Microbe is the latest release from Virgin, written by a 16 year old schoolboy, and is yet another shoot-'em-up arcade game for BBC owners.

In this particular version, the scenario is inside an alien's body, using a 'microbe' to kill off the organisms within.

Among the enemies to be dealt with are blue cells, antibodies, aminos, ribosomes, red cells and spores. Each has a slightly different form of attack and movement, and very quick reactions are needed.

One difference is that your base can be moved up and down the screen as well as the conventional left-right.

Graphics and speed of animation were very impressive, although the game tended to slow down noticeably when lots of things were on the screen at the same time.

Sound was used very well, and all in all it was a very fast and enjoyable game.

However, after you have reached the most complicated screen, the game switches straight back to the beginning. The keyboard controls are difficult to master, and some joystick facility would be an improvement.

D.A.