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Polaris is one of those games that, when you first plug it in, makes you wonder if Atari VCS really has had its day and whether it is time to sell up and buy a Spectrum.

A shame really because, when you make allowances for the crude graphics, it's not really a bad little game.

Not surprisingly with a game called Polaris, the action takes place at sea, though thankfully there are non nukes going off in the game. It is based on the Taito arcade game of the same name and the idea is to sink the planes that are bombing you from above the surface.

Also lurking in the deep are enemy subs which you have to pick off by shooting missiles at them from the sea bed. When you get one of these, an enemy motor launch skims across the surface dropping depth charges which you have to be careful to avoid.

Once you have downed all the craft, the screen changes to a River Raid-style underwater cavern. You scroll up-screen, dodging the islands and banks. In later stages of the game, this underwater cavern is occupied by nasties whom you can shoot for bonus points.

Each time you successfully get to the end of the cavern, you return to the sea battle - but with more and more nasties to deal with.

Polaris is one of the Tigervision range of games being imported from the US by Prism. Prices now vary tremendously on VCS games but, if you hunt around, you should be able to pick this one up for another £15.

Average to good - don't rob your granny for it.