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Who says the days of chivalry are over? New Yorker Wayne discovers that his girlfriend, Lucy, has been kidnapped by a gang of street thugs, and is being held in a warehouse across town. Without a moment's thought he sets off to her rescue...

The player takes the role of Wayne, and faces fights by the dozen in New York's sleazy cross-town streets to reach his beloved Lucy. Problems start as soon as he gets off the subway nearest his destination. The platform's deserted but for a gang of uncouth-looking louts, who surround Wayne without seconds. There's no option but to stand and fight.

Fortunately, Wayne is a martial arts expert with a few death-dealing moves up his sleeve, including a strong punch, awesome back kick, flying kick and floor punch. The gang try their utmost to punch or pummel Wayne to the floor, every accurate hit knocking a chunk off his life energy.

Successfully disposing of the attackers results in the gang leader appearing. This chief thug attacks with fervour, but like Wayne he loses energy when hit - it's a battle to the death.

If the station yobs are defeated, Wayne continues his quest on the local pier where a gang of motor-cyclists try and run him down. Fearlessly, he unmounts them with a well-aimed flying kick. When all the riders are dismounted, the remainder of the gang attack on foot. Again, the leader is last to emerge, and Wayne can't progress until he is eliminated.

Next comes a trip through the seedy red light district. Whip-wielding femme fatales, led by Big Bertha, put in the boot, trying to stop Wayne reaching his destination. The penultimate scene takes place in the warehouse forecourt, where maniacs waving blades slash at Wayne - one touch is sufficient to kill the brave New Yorker.

The final showdown takes place within the warehouse. The razor thugs are reprised, and this time the boss is armed with a gun. If Wayne gets rid of him, he can enter the room where Lucy is being held, and true love prevails...

Arcade conversions appear to be improving all the time, and this one is just about close to perfect. The unusual 'joystick and key' method of control makes manipulating the main character a little difficult to master at first, but when you do manage there's enough happening to keep you jumping, kicking and punching for hours and hours.

The enemies you encounter are beautifully varied in style - and graded in difficulty to make each level a real progression from the last. This is yet another beat-'em-up which is giving me a great deal of satisfaction - maybe I should see someone about it! Roll on Gryzor.

If you've had enough of progressive shoot-'em-ups and dextrous puzzle games, and fancy venting your frustrations in a more aggressive manner, take a look at Imagine's Renegade. All the features of the arcade version are faithfully reproduced, and the animation is great. Controlling the main character is quite complex, but at least Imagine haven't copped out by making it totally joystick operated.

Renegade offers plenty of action and should provide more than enough punching and kicking action for fans of the genre. Hit the streets - and everyone else for that matter - with Renegade.

I'm amazed at how similar this actually is to the arcade version. The title screen and music are virtually identical to the original, and the gameplay is very similar indeed.

What I really like about Renegade is the fact that the enemy always attack as a gang - not as indivduals. On later levels things get really frantic, especially when the razor thugs encircle and start jabbing.

Perseverence is required to rescue the girl, but even when all levels have been conquered, it's still highly enjoyable to go back for another bash.

Presentation 78%
As polished as the arcade version, but lacking in options.

Graphics 89%
Superbly animated sprites and decent backdrops.

Sound 74%
Listenable tune and crunchingly good sound effects.

Hookability 92%
The control method is easy enough to master, and the combat addictive from the outset.

Lastability 83%
Six levels of aggressive action which remain enjoyable even after all the screens have been conquered.

Overall 90%
A thoroughly entertaining fighting romp through New York.