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The things you do for girls... Having arranged to meet Lucy across town, you find yourself getting off a train at a station filled with disreputable types intent on mugging you - or worse.

So to reach your lady love you must negotiate five Landscapes of action: the station, the pier, the seedy back streets, the streets near your meeting place and the meeting place itself.

At each location you meet different gangs - unarmed muggers, chain-swinging Hell's Angels, whip-wielding females led by Big Bertha, and razor-waving thugs. Your only chance of getting through the night is to use your martial-arts skills and send your attackers reeling.

You can kick, knee and punch your opponents. Most assailants need to be downed twice before they're overcome, but some can be pushed to their destruction. Knocking out an opponent earns you points - the more effective the blow, the more points.

After you've defeated several thugs, the gang leader steps to the fore. Like you, he loses energy each time he's hit, and if his energy falls too low he and his gang are beaten.

Each level must be completed in a specified time, or you lose one of your three lives. And even when you reach your girlfriend Lucy, your moments of undying love are cut short as the gangs close in and your ordeal begins again…

Joysticks: Cursor, Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: vivid and detailed
Sound: good title tune
Options: definable keys, high-score table

'The graphics in Renegade are very good, and colour is used brightly. The difficulty needs a little tweaking, though - all the screens are really easy apart from the last. Still, this is one of the best beat-'em-ups around, with a lot of variety and a more definite objective than Way Of The Exploding Fist. Loads of fun!'

'There's lots of detail in this fighting game, but it doesn't have the addictiveness of such beat-'em-ups as Barbarian. Still, the little features make up for most of it. It's very easy to involve yourself in Renegade, because of the tremendous atmosphere created by the superbly-animated characters and ornate backgrounds. Yes, after a few games the action can get boring, with the same move being carried out over and over again - so turn off the Spectrum and come back to it a few days later when you want to let out some aggression! The fun soon starts up again. Like Mikie, Renegade is pretty easy to finish, but it's quite competitive for high scoring.'

'This just has to be the beat-'em-up to end them all, with its outstandingly detailed and colourful graphics, incredible playability and racy tune. Another beauty of Renegade is the control method, simple but highly effective. With up to eight opponents on the screen your task may seem formidable, but it's not impossible - they don't all attack at once. Breaking new ground in computer violence, Renegade may antagonise some, but for the pleasure and excitement it brings this game must not be missed.'