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SSI has taken strategy control of the US market. Now they're fighting fit and over here.

The scenario of Roadwar 2000 is chillingly plausible. It all starts in 1999 when the US is stricken by a killer disease which has brought down the nation to its knees. Society has broken down and an invader has taken the opportunity to drop nuclear bombs on major US cities.

On the coasts and in the south the invasion forces have landed - they use their own vaccine to guard against the killer disease. Their nuclear attacks have, however, rebounded on them: the radiation has caused the killer bacteria to mutate. The invaders are not immune to the new strain and have no cure for the new version of the disease. However, if we, the Americans, can get more anti-toxins we can negotiate peace *and* rid ourselves of both the disease and the invaders.

Scattered around the country are the eight scientists who can, if they are brought together, develop a cure for the disease. There is just one remaining research centre you have to get them to. The trouble is the organisation of the country is shattered and those few people left have formed themselves into gangs intent on carving out their own domains. Factions vie for control of larger areas, to maintain food supplies and to control the limited supply of anti-toxins. A hero is sorely needed. Someone who can lead a small force which must travel the length and breadth of the US to bring the life-saving scientists together.

The government, such as it is, decides this leader will come from the ratpacks: nature will decide who is fit for the job - it will be he who survives the best. As an aspiring leader you must travel from coast to coast, scouring the towns and cities for the missing scientists, forming your 'gang' in the process to beat off the opposition.

As strategy games go, this one is a blend of empire building and strategic battle. Your gang are hungry fighters who must be fed, armed, supplied with transport and kept free of the plague. As leader you must increase the size and strength of your force, take control of as many cities as possible while you search for the scientists and find the research centre. A tall order!

The size of your gang is determined by the type of vehicles you control. A maximum of six is possible but the variety of vehicles, nineteen types in all, determines the number of passengers. Saloon cars are limited to a maximum of eight but a bus or trailer truck can carry about 100.

Much of your time is spent hunting around for these supplies; of food, petrol and tyres and new recruits. Recruits come in many forms, from the trustworthy but needy, through to shifty armed rabble to elite mercenaries and gangsters. Mutants, who have suffered the horrible effects of radiation, are best avoided. So are the cannibals.

Recruiting can be done when your gang and another meets up in battle. As you travel, you meet many warlike factions and battle can be joined in two ways: if your gang is the stronger it's quicker to let the computer take over battle control, but in a close battle your skills as a 21st century Napoleon should be called upon.

If you elect to take control, the screen switches to a strategic map of the road or town in which you are fighting. The roads are littered with wrecked cars, which provide shields for your vehicles and the enemy is shown in icon form.

Battle is joined in the usual gentlemanly manner - turn and turn about.

The game is long, hard fought and complex - it takes a sixteen-page manual to explain it. Special team members can be recruited occasionally and there is a hierarchy within the gang which determines battle success. Fortunately, the computer has the hardest task, that of weighing up the odds to decide what effect your assaults will have.

SSI has a reputation for excellent strategy games which is why US Gold has thrown itself into this market and it is keen to distribute the game. But this doesn't mean the game is faultless. Impressive though it is, there are a few minor bugs - normally passed off by companies as special features - and oversights.

For instance, some of the messages zip past too quickly for a mere human to take in and, occasionally, supplies are not updated when taken aboard. All minor points really as they don't affect the gameplay, but they do spoil the overall impact.

Also, traditionalists might not like the futuristic scenario but my impression is that this simulation has been created for the type of person who is progressing from the shoot-'em-up action games in search of something more intellectually demanding.

One thing is certain, with games like Roadwar 2000, as well as the traditional and successful battleground simulations, Strategic Simulations Incorporated is over here to stay and should give the British strategy houses a necessary kick up the pants. Perhaps, in return, the British will encourage the Americans to drop their prices to a reasonable level.