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The future is a jackboot, forever stamping in your face. So said Orwell. An uncomfortable prospect. Future imperfect, you might say, but at present a real possibility, if the nefarious plans of one Mad Dictator (Rabid Despots Inc) are realised. Someone has been a tad silly and sold the nutcase a matching set of nuclear missiles. Unless his chilling demands are met, the world's going up like baked Alaska.

Which is where you come in. An all-out assault on his island fortress wouldn't work - he's sitting with his finger literally on the button. But a series of lightning covert helicopter raids might be able to break his command and communication structures and disable the armaments before he has time to react. And then we can all have a future without goose-stepping to school, military brass bands on The Chart Show and the casual torture and murder of innocent millions. Yum.

Programmed by Zyrinx, of "Subterranean" fame, Red Zone has shades of that game's conrol, and the EA 'Strike games' action.

Complete a set of airborne and underground missions in a bid to forestall the designs of a nuclear-powered Mad Dictator.

Ah, the old ones are the best, huh? Maybe when it comes to headlines, but it's always nice to have the latest in heli technology. Red Zone offers the very tops in rotor-powered design. You have four weapons systems, suited to targets ranging from SAM carrying troopers to super armoured tanks. Your cannon offers 1,100 rounds, and is capable of taking out most targets in a couple of seconds. A generous supply of rockets is useful for fixed emplacements. Hellfires back a computer-guided punch, and Stingers are essential for air-to-air combat.

Lie Zyrinx's debut, control and feel are an integral part of the game experience. The game is played from overhead, with the chopper in the centre of the action window. Movement is by rotation and forward thrust. The high level of inertia makes control an acquired skill, and it also takes some time to orientate yourself to the display. A sense of depth is created by the construction of game features using 'stacked' sprites. Multiple layers of parallax create a novel and convincing perspective.

Game time spent in the air as opposed to on the ground is about the ratio 3:1. However, the mission sections are not an afterthought, but a developed part of the game. Take your agents into the complexes. Eliminate resistance, locate the computer terminals and comply with any specific mission instructions. Then get the hell out - as the bunkers usually explode!

When you come to land, the choice is between your three trusted agents to perform any specific mission task. Shades, Rocco and Mirage have their own weapons and characteristics. Fail with one, and the others may still complete the task.

1. Shades
   Carries a machine-gun and grenades. Is able to reach snipers behind sandbags.
2. Mirage
   Fastest, and also equipped with a rifle and throwing knives. Knives are deadly, and if she misses Mirage can collect them again.
3. Rocco
   His main weapon is a flamethrower. Quick to kil, but limited to close range. Rocco also carries a handful of powerful long-range rockets.

The supplementary map is accessed by pausing the game. There's a wealth of information here, from a basic guide to every landing site on the islands, to picture info on the missions.

The Zoom function is particularly impressive. You are presented with a faded satscan of the mission zone, and the option to increase resolution, showing greater and greater detail.

Your on-screen instrumentation is an information lifeline as only a small portion of terrain is visible in the scrolling action window at any one time. On the right is a small radar compass, which constantly updates, showing the land outline, major targets and defences as well as your heading.

Below that is the ordinance and damage indicator. It alerts you to structural damage to your craft, and displays selected armament.

Hoorah for Red Zone! From the word 'go' the presentation is absolutely stunning. FMV from a cart? As Gus says, "How do they do that?". Yet beneath the glossy intro lies an equally stunning helicopter sim. The combination of air and ground combat missions works perfectly - varying gameplay and capturing interest. The control system of the copter is superb, being both teeth-grindingly frustrating and realistic in the way it rotates and requires constant attention. But the in-game graphics really take the biscuit. Zyrinx have excelled themselves in their use of perspective.

Although it may not look it from the screenshots, believe you me, once you've witnessed the scrolling and scaling of the pylons above ground and the parallax of the multi-levelled bunkers, you will be amazed. Give this game a (sweetie) cigar!

Zyrinx emphatically prove Subterranea was no fluke with the confident, slick and savagely playable Red Zone. Both games certainly share some common characteristics - tricky control, a steep challenge from the word 'Go!', and the mixing of impossible frustration with real satisfaction when a tough level is cracked.

Despite passwords for every level, days are spent trying to inch forward, but always there's a feeling of encouragement that next time you will make it to the bunker, or successfully defuse the missile. The game is inherently logical, and rewards deep thinkes as often as itchy triggers.

Technically, it manages to push the Megadrive forward, with a mystifying 3D technique that looks even more sensational in the bunkers than it does in the flight sections. Zyrinx have the knack of making something infinitely polished, yet raw at the same time - and it's made Red Zone one of the hungrier, deadlier and more essential.

Graphics 93%
A. "How did they do that?" graphic presentation - depth, perspective, parallax, smooth rotational scrolling: no complaints.

Sound 89%
P. Moody Depeche Mode synth music accompanies the action, with some lovely explosive effects.
N. A certain amount of recycling from Subterranea, which is a tad

Playability 94%
P. Takes a few hours to get the feel of the game, and then you realise it's gripped you by the throat. Really well thought-out missions.

Lastability 91%
P. It's possible to play the same mission 30 times, and fail on each attempt - and still want to try again. That's lastability.

Value For Money 90%
P. You're paying for a game that's been put together by craftsmen. One day this will be an antique!

Overall 92%
Could be the best game you bought all year - if you can handle it. You've got to be good. You've got to be very good.