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Too busy bickering with each other, the governments of the world have failed to notice that they are in danger of yielding power to an evil criminal mind. Known only as the Enemy, this genius has taken control of the world's most powerful defence computers, which he has programmed to cause an instant nuclear holocaust unless every nation gives in to his demand for supreme power.

Having to decide between total annihilation or a state of permanent slavery, Supreme Allied Command decide to fight back. Not, as you might imagine, by hitting the Enemy's complex with everything they have in their arsenal, but rather by sending in a small team of commandos - four to be precise, a team known as Strike Force Cobra.

Your initial test is one of team selection. There are eight candidates on your short list and you are presented with a picture and career details of all the candidates.

Because this is a world threat, there is a Russian rubbing shoulders with an American, an Israeli commando and a couple of Brits (one in the SAS, the other in 2 Paras, both served in the Falklands) amongst your choices. Each of the candidates has different skills, and selecting the final four is not an easy task.

The Enemy succeeded in accomplishing his dastardly crime by kidnapping top computer scientists and forcing them to work for him. Naturally, they are anxious to destroy their captor and so will render the team assistance if you can find them. They each know some of the code necessary to get into the computer room. It is not necessary to find all the scientists as you are equipped with a Digital Lock Breaker to assist you. The problem is that once you have entered the complex, the guards are alerted and the program starts running so that you only have a limited amount of time to complete your task and the DLB does take a lot of time...

You control the commandos individually, selecting them through keys 1-4. They are equipped with grenades and a machine gun and naturally are extremely fit so that kicking down doors and diving through windows present no problem, although even the fittest of men do get tired and should be given a breather from time to time. The complex is on four floors and is presented in a scrolling 3D. Some doors do not respond to a hobnailed size 14 boot and there are lifts that need activating. This involves finding switches cunningly marked D and L. The door or lift is not necessarily near its switch, though, so there should be a lot of co-operation between the troops. As well as the patrolling robots, many of the rooms have fixed defence installations such as wall-mounted guns. Many of the rooms have puzzles to be solved before you are allowed to proceed.

Strike Force Cobra is an interesting game that doesn't quite work, for reasons that I'm not too sure about. Initial gameplay is very difficult to master and I found the 3D effects a bit off-putting but it is nonetheless an original and challenging game and with titles like this and Trap Door, Piranha could become a very big fish indeed!