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In the year 2167 AD, the Earth no longer bothers with imprisoning convicts. Instead, they usually end up being deported to the Moon and left to their own devices. Bit of a mistake, this, though because the prisoners aren't the complete duffers that the authorities take them for, and they've constructed their own ships and now they're attacking the major cities of Earth, and guess who has got to defend one of them?

While holding out for reinforcements, you have to use the city's resources to aid the war effort. The ore from mines creates wealth and with this wealth you buy oil rigs (more fuel for your fighter craft), armies (to slow up the convicts) and factories (which develop better weapons and equipment for you as the game progresses).

As well as controlling all this development, you are called upon to slow up the enemy's advance personally. In this part of the game, which is displayed in After Burner-esque 3D, the object is to destroy a set number of the enemy before they destroy you.

During the occasional special missions, you guide a remote-controlled ship packed with explosives along a 3D trench to an enemy target. Reach the target before the countdown reaches zero, and the ship and the target both go kablooie!

Shockwave is almost classy. There's no denying that its biggest selling point is the brilliant 3D visuals - they are truly stunning and move incredibly quickly and smoothly. The strategy aspects aren't bad either, with plenty of key decisions needing to be taken at every turn.

Unfortunately, the two aspects don't really fit together that well as a game. Neither the shoot-'em-up nor the strategy elements have a great deal of depth or variety, so the game as a whole isn't tops in the lastability stakes.

In the short term though, Shockwave rangs as an addictive little number, because you really feel the need to see the next level and the effects of your new weaponry.

But it's the presentation and graphics that really make this game. Personally, I reckon that the programmers could produce an astounding After Burner-type game with these classy routines. So how about it, Digital Magic?