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Comic author, Frank Miller, certainly knew what he was doing when he brought together two of the toughest movie heroes ever known in his Robocop vs Terminator series of stories. Just imagine what would happen if the unstoppable cop had to take on the merciless killing machine from the future! Cyborg versus cyborg... what a battle that would be!

Well, dream no more, because in this very game, you can 'live that dream', taking control of Robocop on his single-cyborg quest to drive back a squad of cyborg Terminators who have just been sent back in time to steal the Robocop technology and kill any humans that get in their way. As they retreat, Robocop has to follow them into the future to carry on the fight that will destroy the evil SkyNet computer system and free the world from Terminator subjugation forever! Hurrah!

Guide Robocop around the platform levels, carrying out the prime directive he's given at the start of each, blasting away at any hostile forces he runs across on the way.

You couldn't have a game starring Robocop and The Terminator without putting in lots of big guns to play with, could you? The programmers certainly haven't disappointed on this score. Weapon upgrades are to be found all over the place, either lying around in those hard-to-reach places or dropping out of a smashed dustbin or SkyNet.

Robocop can carry two weapons at a time and switch between them at the touch of a button, but if he should lose a life he also loses the weapon he was using at the time. So if it looks like he's about the bite the bullet, quickly switch to the weapon you don't mind getting rid of and it saves a lot of trouble. You can be sure of it!

1. Beretta Auto-9
   Robo's standard armament chops human foes into small chunks but hardly dents the bosses in the game. Make sure you have another weapon handy.
2. Phased Plasma Rifle (With 40 Watt Range)
   The most powerful weapon in the game - one shot disintegrates a standard Terminator! Once you've got one of these, don't lose it!
3. Homing Rockets
   The shots from this rocket launcher spiral in mid-air until they lock on to a target and destroy it. Not very accurate but still useful.
4. Grenade Launcher
   Releases slow-moving grenades which can then be guided by the D-button. An odd system, but it produces satisfactory results.
5. Flame Thrower
   Shoots small bursts of flame in three directions at once. Incinerates humans and causes serious damage to Terminators.
6. ED-209 Arm Gun
   A mightly powerful rapid-fire machine gun. It's just a shame that it's only available at two points in the game.
7. Laser Rifle
   Generates the sort of powerful laser energy beams that Terminators hate. As used by the human rebel forces.
8. Rocket Shotgun
   Launches miniature rocket-powered warheads in a narrow forward spread. Effective on any target.

There are ten levels to Robocop Vs. Terminator, plus one secret hidden one, each with its own prime directive which must be obeyed if you want to see the next part of the game. Come with us as we lead you... into the future!

1. Level 1: Training
   Prime Directive: Avoid the bullets
   
   Here we find Robocop on the beat, patrolling the streets of Old Detroit where nasty men hang out. Robo has to fight off blokes with machine guns and keep an eye out for unappreciative civilians shooting at him from windows and throwing Molotov cocktails and sticks of dynamite at him. Pah! Easy stuff.
2. Level 2: The Streets Of Old Detroit
   Prime Directive: Rescue the hostages
   
   This level is pretty much like the first, only this time Robo clambers around buildings looking for civilian hostages who have been kidnapped by the local crime bosses. His built-in Hostage finder displays large arrows on the screen, indicating which direction to take next, so, even with all those gun-toting hoods around this doesn't present much of a problem. Until you get to the Terminator boss, of course.
3. Level 3: Delta City Under Construction
   Prime Directive: Take out the security cameras
   
   What? Haven't they finished building this place yet? No, and the reason why is that the building sites are infested with criminals! It's up to Robo to climb the scaffolding and walk the girders, dealing death to the evil-doers, while watching out for armour-scorching jets of flame. And guess who's waiting at the end?! It's his old mate Robocop 2! Now things are starting to get tougher.
4. Level 4: The Toxic Farm
   Prime Directive: Watch out for toxic waste
   
   It's definitely a good idea to stay out of the vats of super-acidic toxic waste around here, but a greater threat is posed by the legions of yet more heavily-armed criminals. Somehow they've also rigged up robot sentries on girders which spew out bullets as soon as you get near them. Also, they've managed to lay their hands on an Urban Pacification Mini-Tank which guards the end of the level.
5. Level 5: OCP Office Complex
   Prime Directive: Rescue the OCP employees and trash the office
   
   The Terminators have arrived en masse in the offices of OCP and after capturing the OCP executives, they've set up loads of robot defences and disguised themselves as security guards. Robo has to find all the hostages and release them while dodging the fire of the gun turrets mounted in the carpeting before taking on - cripes! - ED-209!
6. Level 6: Terminator Outpost
   Prime Directive: Free the Rebel Commander
   
   Robocop has reactivated his consciousness in the future, with the war between the humans and SkyNet raging around him. His first job in his new surroundings is to hunt through the human's underground home for captured rebels. The base has been occupied by several squads of Terminators, but danger also comes from the loose rocks in the ceilings. Make sure you find the laser rifle before taking on the big boss Terminator.
7. Level 7: Entering SkyNet
   Prime Directive: Just stay alive
   
   It isn't easy to comply with the Prime Directive on this level. It's an onslaught against battalions of Terminators, backed up by ceiling- and floor-mounted laser turrets. It's also Robocop's first opportunity to take on the Red Terminators, which are extremely tough to destroy - even with a plasma rifle!
8. Level 8: Underground Bunker
   Prime Directive: Annihilate the red Terminators
   
   This vast maze of underground passages is crawling with all sorts of Terminators, but the red command Terminators are everywhere. Flaming pits, loose boulders in the roof, gun turrets - it's a nightmare! And to make things worse, at the end of the level Robocop has to take on a miniature Hunter Killer which patrols a trench of fire!
9. Level 9: The Wall To SkyNet
   Prime Directive: Take out radar dishes
   
   Robocop has to destroy SkyNet's surveillance systems before he can take out the main computer itself, and that means getting past hordes of Terminators (standards and reds), giant laser cannons and even wall-crawling Terminator spiders(!) to destroy all the radar dishes in the complex. Watch out for hidden passages in this section, and watch out also for the Terminator with the huge machine gun which guards the exit.
10. Level 10: Underground Bunker
    Prime Directive: Defeat the Skynet boss
    
    Loads of Terminators! Squadrons of flying robots! Help! Mother! All we're going to say about the end of this game is make sure you've got two extremely good weapons on you when you confront the final boss - and be sure not to lose them!
11. Level ?: Secret Remote Base
    Prime Directive: Find extra lives
    
    Where is the Secret Remote Base? Not telling. But as with a lot of the secret rooms and hidden objects in this game, finding it is a matter of keeping an eye out for apparently solid objects which you can walk through (or perhaps you're meant to be walking behind them).

I haven't been overly impressed with any of the Terminator or Robocop Megadrive releases thrust upon an unsuspecting public so far so it was with considerable trepidation that I approached this new offering from Virgin. What a pleasant surprise!

The graphics immediately hit you between the eyes with their excellence - huge, detailed and imaginative sprites, atmospheric backdrops and tonnes of animation, there are masses of really neat weapons which you really have to hang onto if you value your life and non-stop, adrenalin-pumping action all the ay.

Virgin has extracted the best bits from both characters and both sets of films and added some magic of its own. This game is an absolute corker and being an avid shoot-'em-up fan myself I can thoroughly recommend this mega blast to one and all.

When I first saw Robocop Vs The Terminator, I thought it was going to be another of Virgin's nice-graphics-not-much-gameplay titles. In fact, after playing the first few levels I reset the machine so I could check for David Perry's name on the opening credits.

But, cynical fool that I am, I only had to play a few more levels to discover the truth. Simplistic the gameplay may be, but this is one of the best Megadrive blasts I've played in months! Loads of guns, explosions, and cyborg-death mayhem.

There are a number of impressive features that stand out; little things like the ornaments from the OCP offices in the Robocop movie making it into the OCP offices in the game, and the burning TVs from Terminator appearing in the Terminator outpost.

Even better are bits like the confrontation with Robocop 2 and ED-209 (all complete with the correct sound effects, sampled from the films) and being able to shoot off ED-209's gun to use yourself is a very neat touch.

Graphically this game is excellent throughout, with excellent animation, amazing sprites (all the robots are brilliantly done) and even the backgrounds are very detailed. The gameplay starts off very easy, then the difficulty setting rapidly escalates, so if you're a shoot-'em-up novice, beware!

Also, this is one of those games in which, if you lose your weapons you're in deep dung. Robo's Auto-9 is okay to start with but you don't stand a chance on some of the later levels if you haven't got one of the more powerful weapons in your pocket. All in all, though, this is an ace game, which should provide fans of Robocop And The Terminator with major thrills!

Presentation 89%
P. Very nice little screen sequence with the letters of the titles thudding onto the screen. Good range of options too.

Graphics 92%
P. Ace sprites, animation and backgrounds.

Sound 93%
P. Lots of smart samples such as Robocop's gun, ED-209's growl. The music is pretty good too, and the tunes on the later levels are excellent.

Playability 90%
P. Starts off very simple but quickly gets very tough.
N. Lose your weapons on the later levels and you're completely knackered.

Lastability 91%
P. Really challenging stuff which gets better the further you play. You'll be hooked from start to finish. Oh, and there are all those secret bits to find.

Overall 90%
Fundamentally a simple platform shoot-'em-up, but an excellent blast nonetheless!