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"Prodigy is a game which demands compassion" claims the packaging. Compassion? Yes, 'fraid so, not just shooting things. You are Solo, a synthetic man, and as well as escaping from the Machine Sorcerer's nightmare maze (packed full of genetic mutants), you must guide the human baby Nejo to safety. Walk slowly enough for it to follow, wash it in the showers you'll find, give it mil by zapping the chef. All together now: aaaah!/bleuch! (delete as applicable). This subject matter is one of several areas where Prodigy is rather original. It combines various gameplay elements to create a unique "feel".

The graphics are nicely defined and detailed in the 3D Knight Lore style: furthermore, they scroll rather than flick between locations, remarkably smoothly. There are four distinctive zones (fire, vegetation, technical and ice), each with its own graphics. A nice touch is the way Solo slides in the ice zone. The moving part of the screen is irritatingly small, however. Sound is certainly unmissable: loud noises which are astonishingly coming from Spectrum, if not tuneful.

Prodigy is marred, for me, by its difficulty. The mutants are extremely hard to avoid once near you, and instead of diminishing your energy, collision sends you back to the nearest teleporter or the start, whichever is nearest. This is unbelievably frustrating, and matters are not helped by the awkward (and not redefinable) key combination. If you persevere then this game has numerous nice features and puzzles to offer - but for most people, it is initially too off-putting.