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The story so far... Following the departure of the Red Falcon and his evil alien forces, a period of peace and rebuilding began on Earth. From the ruins of the war-torn cities on every continent, the survivors of the alien invasion climbed from their shelters. After years of conflict, people finally had a vision of hope for the future. Work began on resurrecting the last remaining city from the ashes, and rebuilding civilisation to its former prosperity and glory. Under the guidance of the remaining government officials, work was underway to guarantee a future for humanity.

That is until the plans went wrong. Horribly wrong. The Commanding Officer of the operation against the alien invasion, Colonel Bahamut, seemed to go insance under all the pressure, and defected to side with the Fourth World Invaders, becoming their Chief Officer. With the help of other criminally minded psychos, he is planning the destruction of the city by corrupting the Mother Computer, and turning the surviving combat and law enforcement droids aganst the innocent population.

In a last ditch effort, a rag-tag team of Probotectors have been brought together for a search and destroy mission. The four team members must fight it through level upon level of robotic onslaught to rescue the last remaining hope for mankind. Are you up to it?

After making a hugely successful series on Nintendo formats, Probotector hits the Megadrive.

Defend the Earth from Bahamut and his evil cybernetic allies by choosing one of four characters and shooting anything that moves!

To build up an enemy-destroying arsenal, it is essential to keep your eyes peeled for the dropships. As they fly overhead, all that is needed is a short gun blast to bring them crashing to the ground for you to collect.

To vary the gameplay and appearance, the programmers have added the third dimension to several levels. These include the flying level, in which the Probotectors confront airborne droids and the Wonder Bird, a plane reminiscent of a World War II bomber; and the road chase, a Mode 7-esque high-speed dash to avoid the alien commander.

You know what they say: two guns are better than one! Enlist the help of a mate and it's two player team work action ahoy! But as the fun gets furious, watch out for enemy fire as every time you restart past your limit of lives, one life is deducted from the other player.

The game has a massive six endings (including one hidden ending) dependant on the route you choose to take during the game. Every route covers the six environments (City Battle, High Speed Fight, Jungle, Air Combat, Sea Struggle and Alien Space), uncovering new locations and enterprising alterations in gameplay.

You think the enemy ground droids are tough? You ain't seen nothing yet, as Probotector's bosses are something else! They run, they jump, they throw things at you, and these end-of-level guardians are some of the biggest sprites to grace the Megadrive. But as they say, size isn't everything, and, as with any boss worth his salt, they have crucial weak spots. Once the weak spot is identified, the Probotector must study and dodge the attack pattern while putting in those vital shots. But never turn your back on a boss, even when the abomination is chucking out smoke and flames, as they often morph into an even deadlier form for the second round of attack.

I'm a massive fan of Konami's NES Super Contra game, but always found it a little too easy. With this Megadrive version, though, Konami's developers have listened to such criticisms and have created a game which is every bit as playable as the original, but infinitely more rewarding. Whilst the Super nES game relies on Mode 7 trickery, this Sega version concentrates on the fast-paced shoot-'em-up action, and adding innovation to the game's many levels.

There are countless bosses to be fought, a huge array of weaponry, and the 3D section where you run away from a pursuing giant with extending arms is nothing short of stunning. Konami are on a real roll at the moment, but for me Probotector is as good as it gets. With it, they have reinvented the shoot-'em-up genre, and if you're a fan of mindless destruction this is the best fix you are ever likely to get. Enrol today!

In a world where games have an ever decreasing shelf-life, it is a joy to see a timeless classic hit the Megadrive. This is gaming in its purest form, not a scrap of gristle as every spare inch is packed with action and challenge.

The difficulty setting may frustrate a great number of people, but all good things come to those who wait. This is a case of practice makes perfect! The choice of route system is a superb idea, guaranteeing hour upon hour of gaming heaven as you play through new and uncharted levels.

So much time and effort has been ploughed into making this a superior sequel not by churning out flash graphics at the expense of the gameplay, but by using thought and imagination. This is all so apparent when you witness the gigantuan bosses, and their unfeasible antics.

Probotector is an absolute must for all Megadrive owners and shows the shoot-'em-up reaching its ultimate form!

Graphics 92%
P. An absolute visual fest with the mind-blowing explosions, bosses, and 3D sections!
N. The character sprites are a tad small.

Sound 90%
P. Crank up the volume to appreciate the rumblerama of countless high-octane blasts mixed with perfectly paced tunes. Ace!

Playability 95%
P. Hair-pullingly, joypad-smashingly, one-more-go-ingly superb! It's flipping tough, but oh-so rewarding!

Lastability 92%
P. Six endings, a difficulty setting permanently on rock hard, and secret sections. This will last an aeon, and then you'll play it again!

Value For Money 91%
P. A game that will be played time after time. Well worth the price tag.

Overall 94%
A masterpiece in Megadrive programming. Tough in all the right places, packed with levels, and soaked in imagination and innovation. Brilliant!