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Years ago, American troops went far afield into enemy territories, fighting for peace, justice and the American way. At the end of the conflict, a number of soliders were left behind, held captive by the enemy troops.

You are a soldier with a conscience and find it impossible to leave fellow countrymen prisoner in a foreign land. The only course of action is to go and bring them home yourself.

After a short boot-camp training programme, you set off to the rescue. With your M14, a rocket launcher and minimal backup, you are dropped deep into enemy holding. You must blast your way through to the base where the prisoners are being held. Can you escape to the beach and fend off the enemy until your rescue ship arrives?

P.O.W. is very much in the style of Operation Wolf, but that's no criticism because it works really well. Impressive graphics make it a joy to look at and the effectively sampled sound add to the great playability. But (and this is a *big but*) it costs £30 and that's just too much for a simple arcade-type game like this.

If it were nearer half this price, it would have been great, but at this price I'm just not sure it's worth it. A pity really, because what's there is really good to play - especially when you shoot a dog!

When a new style video game appears, it's only a matter of time before the clones start to appear. P.O.W. has taken the basic Operation Wolf format and built a rather good game around it.

The graphics are excellent and the high-quality sampled sound is very atmospheric. It's one of those games that you can get into straight away - blasting away at everything that moves - and it's great for getting rid of the day's tension. The only problem is the price. I mean, £30?! Come *on*...!

Still, if you love this type of game you could do worse than have a look.

Presentation 82%
Nice intro pieces, two-player game and a generally glossy feel.

Graphics 93%
Very effective sprites and equally impressive backdrops.

Sound 88%
Clear and appropriate samples add lots of atmosphere.

Hookability 91%
Instantly fun to play due to the simple blasting action.

Lastability 78%
Not a great deal to do, but it's still great fun doing it.

Overall 69%
A very good game which is just far too expensive.