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Hooray for Arnold! You can usually rely on good old Schwartzie to provide a decent punch-up on either big screen or small and Red Heat provides ample proof of this - even for those who've had their heads buried in a swamp for the last ten years or so.

In Red Heat, the big man plays the part of a pre-glasnost Soviet special cop who must travel to America to intercept the head of an international drug ring (what ever happened to drug squares, oh yes, that was the Rolling Stones the seventies).

Joe Danko, the Commie super cop must survive four levels of frantic fighting action with both fists and firearms, proving, while you're on the job that the battling bulgie is not to be trifled with. The fracas begins in a Soviet sauna where, because of a complete lack of clothes to conceal a weapon, the combat is naturally hand to hand (Oo-er). The action then proceeds to Chicago for the next three levels during which Arnie can pick up a gun and increase his offensive firepower and collect bonus objects. He finally meets the end of game baddie in a tough, life draining duel.

Graphics and gameplay are good. The monochrome-only main screen and sprites are reasonably well defined and scroll, if not quite smoothly, continuously across the screen. The graphic presentation of the muscle man himself is well done and as the screen displays only the top half of everyone's body, most figures, especialy Arnie's, are larger and more visual. Control is good if a little slow and requires some practice.

Red Heat combines action with good graphics - as in the full price game. As a budget it still packs the same punch without knocking the wind out of your piggybank.

Label: Hit Squad Memory: 48K/128K Price: £3.99 Tape, N/A Disk Reviewer: Alan Dykes

First out nearly two years ago, Red Heat is still graphically good with above average playability. He's big, he's bad and he's back, as he always promised he would be and as usual Arnold doesn't let you down.