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Rollicking good fun, this, one of the better coin-op conversions of recent months and one of the few decent games of its kind on the Atari ST.

A horizontally-scrolling platforms-and-ladders shoot-'em-up, Rolling Thunder casts you in the role of Albatross, a secret agent of an international police organisation. Your colleague Leila has been captured by Mabook, evil head of the terrorist group Geldra, and your task is to get her back, at which point I expect it would be time for big snogs.

The game's set in an abandoned warehouse complex, which means plenty of opportunity for leaping around catwalks, piles of crates, heaps of tyres and stairways.

Every so often you'll pass a doorway. Some are labelled as ammunition stores - containing either ordinary bullets or super-bullets which kill in one shot - while others are just useful for hiding behind. Hiding from what, you may ask? Well, the Geldra goons are on the lookout for you, and they'll shoot you, punch you, or throw bombs at you if they get within range. It's best to keep shooting ahead of you to clear the way, and don't forget that you can bound athletically to and from the balconies to get to grips with them.

Though it's wise to wipe out every goon you see, you can't waste too much time, because there's a time limit on each level. On the second level, you have to leap to the top of a huge pile of crates, and on the third even more dangers appear, including flaming lava-monsters and bounding cheetahs.

While your lifemeter shows the amount of energy you have remaining, one good punch or shot and you're dead, so the best advice is to stay clear of any physical contact. The characters are nicely animated, with your hero assuming an appropriately macho pose as he fires, and the hooded baddies crumpling satisfyingly, especially if you catch them in the middle of a mid-air leap.

The colour scheme is a bit nauseating and the sound effects and music unremarkable, but otherwise this is a well-designed and enjoyable game. There are some nice touches such as the way you can take cover inside a pile of tyres, or leap from obstacle to obstacle over the heads of the baddies.

Although the C64 version has come in for a bit of stick, the other 8-bit and 16-bit versions seem to have that all-too-rare element of catchiness which makes you want to play just until you've finished the next level... and the next... and the next...