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Sniff. It's the last ever Renegade! The martial arts classic has entertained hundreds of thousands of people, and the quest climaxes with Renegade III: The Final Chapter.

There's little new in the story line. You must yet again rescue your girlfriend from the clutches of evil kidnappers. Grievous Bodily Harm is the not terribly subtle method of persuasion employed by the Renegade.

This time though, the captors are travellers from the future. You must travel through various times and places, defeating minions left, right and centre - it's a multi-load game, by the way. There's also a time limit to beat, which is very tough on newcomers.

The game starts in the time when dinosaurs walked the earth. Two varieties here: big and little (design is not the game's strong point). Neanderthals also lope around, brandishing clubs which they're very eager to use if you get ton close. There are ladders and platforms to climb on, and crevasses to avoid (by jumping naturally).

In each level are two areas which cannot be walked through unless you defeat twelve opponents. They attack in two waves, so needless to say there's not much chance of coming out unscathed. After progressing to the final screen - and dispatching any remaining monsters - you are whisked forward to the following era. Speaking of time, any spare amount left on the clock is translated into bonus points.

Ancient Egypt is the next venue. Mummified birds and people are the mam opposition here, with acid splashes and Anubis lookalikes adding some potent back-up. Anubis is one of the Egyptian gods, and he certainly knows how to wield a walking stick to best effect.

If you can defeat the end of level guardians - and by this stage it's no easy task - then the medieval world awaits you. Here knights in shining armour chop at you with swords, and the occasional fire-breath-ing dragons are pretty hungry. I must admit that this was as far as I got, so exactly what comes next... The future, or perhaps a nostalgic trip to Manhattan first?

Graphically, the game is as pretty as it's predecessors, with the thug himself punching and moving in a mean, magnificent mood. It's a pity that the nasties, while well drawn, just don't animate so well. This naff aspect gradually deteriorates as you progress.

The scenario is silly and totally out of keeping with the previous Renegade games. That's the main problem with Renegade III. Imagine have taken away the urban beat-'em-up and produced a storyline so out of this world that it's ordinary. [Pardon? - Ed]

Gameplay is nearly the same as Target Renegade, except that there aren't so many different fighting moves. There's also no two player option, which is really annoying: and the opponents never give you a chance. The combat is just not as amusing as the games' predecessors.

To be fair, it's not that Renegade III is really awful: it's difficult, but quite good. No, it's just that the previous two efforts are exceptionally amazing and have apparently proved beyond the capabilities of Imagine to improve on.

I really like Target Renegade. I really hate Renegade III. He's not as mobile, doesn't fight as well and he's too fiddly to control. Nice music though.

Very good.

10,000 points

The strangest fact about the Renegade trilogy is that it was launched just when the fad for karate style games was fading. The chance to take on street gangs, pick up extra weapons and occasionally mug a granny (not that we condone that sort of thing!) was just too attractive for most people to miss.

Target Renegade was an improvement in some respects, in that the two player option added a new dimension (and made the game easier to play). The punch and kick variations were simplified, but if you got bored of them you could always just attack your friend.

Renegade III takes the cut down features of both games and adds vicious difficult to beat opponents that somehow take the fun out of the game. It's a shameful way to end such a great game concept.

Graphics 81%
P. Very colourful.
N. Ropey animation sometimes.

Sonics 84%
P. Nice Tune.
N. Good jingles and effects too.

Grab Factor 52%
N. Far too difficult.
N. Lacks variation.

Staying Power 70%
P. A lot of skill needed.
N. Maybe too much?

Overall 73%
P. A good game...
N. But not up to scratch.