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There's nothing Simon Byron likes more than covering his face in mud, rolling about in the undergrowth and generally being dirty. It's a shame, then, that he first has to review the latest Krisalis release before he can get back to his favourite pastime

The S.A.S. are a team of rock-hard guys who'll not bat an eyelid, even when told to spend five days hunched up inside a toilet cistern with no food or water (apart from the odd mouthful of "Mr Flush" or whatever) because some High Command loony has decided this is the best way to ensure British Security and generally make good old Blighty a safer place to live in. Hooray for them, then, and hooray for Krisalis and their fantastic new game which gives you (yes, you, etc) the opportunity to command four of these super-tough blokes through five varied and progressively more difficult missions.

Sabre Team is played a bit like Heroquest, with each team member having a set number of 'Action Points' with which to make their moves during the player's go. Different actions 'cost' a different number of Points to be successfully completed and an awful amount of planning is required to prevent certain soldiers from being left open to enemy fire with no Action Points left 'with which to retaliate. These points will be replenished between goes so there's no need to cry if you're running a little low on your current turn. After all the player's moves have been made the turn is ended and the computer has its go, controlling all the enemies one by one and making individual decisions as it goes

With its high level of strategy and not-altogether-fast gameplay, will Sabre Team grab the attention of the more thoughtful Amiga owners or end up leaving everybody feeling as if they've just had one gulp too many of Mr Flush? There's only one way to find out..

The most impressive aspect of Sabre Team is its excellent atmosphere. From the initial loading screen depicting the S.A.S. motto to the creeping around the enemy bases, not knowing what lies around each corner, the tense mood is sustained wonderfully. It's difficult to say whether the game really is authentic or not (I haven't managed to invite my S.A.S. mates round for their opinions just yet) but you can certainly relate to the real-life scenarios ripped, as they say, "from today's headlines". With its turns system and 'pieces' moving, the game often feels like a much-enhanced version of Chess.

This feeling is further increased by the not-very-short waiting time,between moves while the computer decides what it's going to do with its troops. The delay isn't overly long or painful (and, to be fair, it can be slightly speeded up if you hold the mouse button down) but it does slow down the game's pace, which can be frustrating when the bullets start flying in earnest.

This is definitely more of a "thinking man's" game and not for the frantic fire-button pummeller; even at its peak the action is sedate to say the east. However, If you can live with the mildly irritating thumb-twiddling then what you'l discover here is a deep and involving game that grabs you from the minute you first load it.

There are no quick and easy thrills on offer, but if you're willing to invest some time and effort then you'll find (as I did) that Sabre Team is one of the most engrossing action strategy games around.