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Right. You battled your way through Renegade, getting really serious about beating up all those nasty, three-day stubble opponents. In Target Renegade, you kicked seven shades of shirt out of those horrible fat-types and their henchmen and you really enjoyed it. What could worry such a hard guy like you?

Well, it's a question of time - you're stuck in it. As a martial arts hero with street cred and nice trousers you slipped on a time warp banana skin and ended on your backside in the Stone Age. And guess who planted the banana skin? That's right - your old chums "The Nasty Gang"; what's worse, they've got your girlfriend hostage. (Cries of "Oh no! Not again!" and "The rotters!")

This is where you start, faced by squat cavemen with clubs, Tyrannosaurus Rexes and their cutesy offspring (they come out of eggs dropped by birds) and shy, retiring types who only run out of their caves to drop rocks on you. Oh - and then there are natural hazards like *holes* (like they had in 1 Million Years BC) and lava rivers (Hot Tootsie Simulators) - touching these means instant death.

Of course, you can defend yourself with kicks and punches and ducks, and you can climb around some obstacles and avoid others - and you've got four lives as well. It's going to be easy, isn't it? Boy, are you in for a surprise!

Each of the four levels is a hazardous mission which involves battling with the indigenous inhabitants (I like that phrase - I'll have to use it again), each of whom have their own styles of fighting, all of which are nasty.

Right, so you've cleared the first level - where now? There's no let-up because it's straight off to Egypt to do battle with the living dead (whiffy lot, them), then to Medieval times where nights in shining armour and particularly nasty dragons decide they don't like you, and finally - well, that'd be telling, wouldn't it? Best just not have a shave for three days, do a couple o hours on the Bullworker and get going. You've only got a few million years ahead of you...

This is a great departure from the other two games in the series - they were for serious macho types who like saving gals and can pull a couple of nasal hairs out at once. This is more my kind of game: it contains most of the beat-'em-up elements of its successors and adds a touch of humour. That's not to say it's easy - it took me a while to suss out and finish the first level, and after that things start getting really tough.

The graphics are some of the prettiest I've seen on a Commodore, with tons of very cute characters and detailed backdrops, and some smart animation. The old format is there - beat things up, survive an onslaught of characters until the scrolling lets you continue, beat more things up and finish the level - but the way it's been used gives Renegade III the kind of addiction the previous two lacked. The best of the lot as far as I'm concerned.

A beat-'em-up, eh? With mummies and dragons and eagles' eggs that turn into cute little scuttling dingos? What are Ocean playing at? A top-class quality action game, that's what. You'd better believe it, 'cos if you miss out on this you're missing out on the best and most original of the Renegade series to date.

Not only have you got fabbo bash-'em into the ground and stamp on their faces action, you've also got brilliant graphics, a great soundtrack and the cutest fighting game in the business. OK, so there are only four levels but beat-'em-up action doesn't come much tougher than this, so who cares?

Start raiding your piggy bank 'coz this is one of the best possible ways to get rid of ten quid.

You might think that with only four levels, Renegade III won't test your gaming skills too much. When you've completed the first level, you might still think that. When you get to the third and you're killed every time by those knights on hobby-horses and that dragon (dragon? It looks more like a flying pig!), you'll know the meaning of frustration!

The cassette multi-load is just like any other - a bit of a pain if you don't like them, or something you don't bother about; it's not that bad. The rest of the game is pretty impressive - a brilliant soundtrack, cute (and annoying!) characters and a wide range of moves that you can beat them up with. If you liked the previous games in the series, take a look at this - it's got more class than a wet weekend in Newcastle.

Presentation 68%
Clear on-screen appearance, decent instructions and a multi-load. Nice joystick handling.

Graphics 93%
Well-defined, cartoon quality sprites and backdrops coupled with neat animation. Generally very polished.

Sound 88%
A choice of some average sound effects or a brilliant soundtrack.

Hookability 85%
It's fairly easy to progress a little way into the game, and the cute action will keep you coming back.

Lastability 89%
There are only four levels, but the toughness and variety will keep you playing a long time.

Overall 90%
Another first-class beat-'em-up from Ocean that will give you a laugh or two along the way.