On loading this game for the first time, my reaction was "Yuk! Not another ladders and levels game... boring!" However, after playing Shanghai for a while, I quite warmed to it and in fact it is a really tricky little game.

The storyline goes that your fiancee has been kidnapped by an evil woman called 'The Guardian' and is being held prisoner on the top floor of an old shanty in Shanghai. Your task is to climb the ladders, release her from prison, and then lead her to safety.

Well, it's not quite as simple as that as you would expect. Lots of nasty little creatures are out to stop you on the way and must be disposed of with your sword. Having got them out of the way you grab the key and unlock the door of the prison. Now your fiancee can be led away to safety but not without a certain amount of interference from 'The Guardian'. This oriental lady must have run a few marathons because she certainly doesn't hang about once she gets going.

To add to your troubles, your fiancee has been drugged and is a rather dizzy dame. If you don't keep close tabs on her she has a nasty habit of drifting off somewhere without you.

The graphics in Shanghai are good but by no means startling. The sound I feel is a bit basic and consists of various bleeps and buzzes with a few bars of the Wedding March when you rescue your sweetheart. This does let the game down a bit and is a shame.

Shanghai is good fun and certainly does get addictive but be warned that it is not easy and if you do manage to get past the first screen, the later ones seem almost impossible.

Dave ReederPeter Rochford