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Chrysalis is a relatively new name on the software scene, but the name hides a wealth of experience. Formed around the bones of Teque software, the development company responsible for the conversion of Pacmania among others, plans to continue developing games for other publishers, but also to publish its own.

The company's first game is a colourful arcade adventure with a plot similar to John Carpenter's classic B-movie Escape From New York.

Our hero (that's you!) is an undercover policeman convicted of a crime that he didn't commit and cast away on the penal planet Altrax.

Rumours abound of a wrecked but repairable space craft, scattered in eight different places somewhere on the planet. If our hero can find the pieces before the gangs get to him, then there's a slim chance that he can rebuild the rocket and make good his escape.

The opening screen sees the copper stranded outside the locked city gates. The subsequent search for the first two objects - an access card and a wristwatch - is a good introduction to the mechanics of the rest of the game. The wristwatch adds an extra element to the usual 'solve the puzzle' gameplay - time. Other characters have to be met at certain times - the nightclub doesn't open until ten - that sort of thing.

Going deeper into the gameplay would be difficult without giving away some of the more rewarding solutions, but suffice it to say that the backgrounds are mostly interactive, there are plenty of real characters to interact with and, best of all, the puzzles are generally logical. For me, that's Prison's best aspect and a place where most other arcade adventures fall down.

Aesthetically, the program lives up to its gameplay. The graphics are crystal clear, and the main character's movement works perfectly against the intricate backgrounds creating a believable atmosphere.

Chrysalis' debut is the one that a lot of ST gamesters have been waiting for. My main argument would be that there are already more than enough games of this type about, but the well-structured look and feel and the tidy graphic style do put this one slightly above the crowd.