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Rebel Without A Cause - that was heart-throb James Dean's most famous film. Now it's your turn to boa rebel with a cause - and that cause is to escape, of course (Course it is. Ed!) This time the hero is, gasp, female, and with the rather catchy name of THX 2240. Just trips off the tongue, don't it? Rebel, written by Gang Of Five (Dan Dare), tells the story of a future time when the populace is forced to earn a living working on gigantic 'agridustrial combine compounds' (down on the farm, to you and me). This futuristic version of the Archers is not for our heroine, oh no. She prefers the easy life. So she decides to make a bid for freedom. The only way to do this, and avoid capture by the ever-alert police surveillance patrol machine, is to steal a CCV (Crowd Control Vehicle) and head for the way out. Problem is that all of the exits she needs to get through have to be blasted down by the powerful solar beams that provide much needed sunlight during sun-tree periods. To get the beam to hit the exit, mirrors have to be positioned in a number of reflector stations scattered about the area, and positioned carefully. Once the beam opens the exit then it's off to the next level.

With a plot that owes a lot to Logan's Run and an early George Lucas film (THX 1138), Rebel can't be said to be original in story but the game itself is rather unusual. You drive around in your 'tank' collecting or repositioning the mirrors and then hit the beam switch. If you set them right, the door opens - if not, you lose a life. A life is also lost if you hit one of the patrol squads (but as these follow set paths they are easy to avoid), or if your time runs out. The game's as simple as that. What lifts it above the mire are the excellent graphics. Everything is viewed from above, and excellent use is made of shading. and colour itself. The ground objects have a real 3-D feel to them. Scrolling is smooth, and sound FX are great. The only downer is that maybe it's a little too simple. When I've completed the game I may have second thoughts about going back to it!! But that aside I think that Rebel's a reet good game, perfect for all those with a reflective nature.

A cleverly plotted arcade adventure with a bit of strategy and a lot of terrific graphics.