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In this game, a security alert is in fact exactly what you don't want. You see, you're supposed to be a master thief, and we don't mean a wussy software pirate either, we mean a cat burglar who risks life and limb creeping round other people's premises. At the start of the game you arrive on a motorcycle with a choice of five different buildings and three skill levels. The buildings themselves vary in difficulty, the jewelry store is easiest with the museum, bank, research lab and embassy offering increasingly more sophisticated traps. You can choose to attempt any building at any difficulty level at any time.

Once the building has loaded, the game proper begins. You must avoid or disable detection devices, evade capture by robot guards, find the special object and then escape (all within a time limit). The buildings have their own layouts and several have a couple of floors. There are seven types of "Detection Devices" to counter including a camera, heat/sound/weight detectors and various beams. These can be all defeated, e.g. a mirror for the camera, you can even destroy them - but this will often set off an alarm! My favourite detection device, though, is 'darkness' which can be defeated by a 'flashlight' (!). While defeating such elaborate traps you might discover a "lock" on a door or Container (such as a safe). There are four conventional key locks, card key locks and electronic devices operated by Controls. "Controls" can control up to three devices (detectors, locks or elevators) and range from simple switches to keypads (requiring two digit codes) to circuit boards (you can cut wires, or jump two of the three wire using alligator clips).

Tools such as alligator clips are found in containers and range from hammers to drills to infra-red goggles to dynamite. There's also time bombs and gas grenades, electronic decoders for keypads, memos (containing hints), even books (not to read, to use as weights!). The skill with which you use these tools helps determine the alert levels - green, yellow, red and white. You can bring the alert level down by avoiding any further detection.

Security Alert is a surprisingly fun little game, at its best it's an imaginative and atmospheric arcade puzzler. All the various tools and security devices have a realistic feel and can really pull you into the game. The overhead perspective is effective and the pretty side-on view is occasionally useful. The addition of faster, more far-sighted droids on higher levels, more security devices and bigger floorplans mean the challenge increases quite nicely. Over the long term it might be a little repetitive - graphic variety is limited and unspectacular - but it's got originality (so rare these days!) and is well worth buying for people who fancy a change.

This is one of those games that looks awfully complicated but is surprisingly easy to pick up. The control system is relatively user-friendly and can be very quickly picked up, although occasionally a little fiddly with the joystick. The switchable view-points are a nice feature and not just for decoration: for instance, you need to switch to the relevant side view to discover the height of an infra-red beam. Sneaking around, avoiding droids and nicking the loot is good fun, though it's pretty much the same in all the buildings - a few more different security features would have provided a longer stretch of interest.

The main screen shows a view of the action, surrounded by a cluster of controls. It looks complex, but is all fairly simply. At the top right, there's your memo pad with the time and your co-ordinates. Below this is a strip showing the alert status, and three arrow keys plus a 'T' key. The latter button flicks the main screen between an overhead and a side-on view. The arrow keys rotate this view through 90 degrees so you can look in any of the four compass directions. Then at bottom left there's a scrolling map which shows your position and that of the robot guards. To the left of this there's your inventory, which can contain six items, and at bottom left there's the close-in window. When you press fire on the main screen the object you're facing - e.g. a lock or a safe - is shown close-up. You can then click on one of your inventory items and drag it over to try it out - a red key on a lock, for example. The key is shown moving forward when you press fire and if it's the right key you see the lock open. To access these special actions, you simply press fire twice in the main display, a hand icon then appears which can be moved across the other displays. To go back to controlling your character you move the hand icon into the main display. Using the joystick you can move your character in any of the normal eight directions, you can also make him crawl and jump - which can be vital for avoiding various beams.

Presentation 71%
Amusing intro, animated outro, informative 36-page manual and well-thought-out control system. For cassette owners loading in the mission-select screen and missions themselves isn't too bad. Pity there's no save/load function.

Graphics 73%
A little blocky, and there's no much attention, but the choice of overhead and side-on perspectives is nice.

Sound 67%
Cheery but basic intro tune and effective in-game spot effects.

Hookability 76%
Starts off quite easy and controls are soon picked up. Should become a successful criminal on your first session!

Lastability 72%
Five buildings and three skill levels, not much graphical variety, but this life of crime should keep you popping in and out of prison for weeks.

Overall 74%
Innovative fun.