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At last, your chance to take that amazing British invention, the Harrier jump jet, up for a spin, and a bit of in-flight mayhem if you're feeling aggressive.

Not that I made much use of the opportunity - on my first four flights I crashed within ten seconds. I begin to see why it takes a small fortune and goodness knows how long to train a Harrier pilot.

This is a superb simulation, developed with the help of British Aerospace who, presumably, vouch for its accuracy.

You are offered a choice of game type (practice or combat) and skill level (pilot, commander and ace).

The graphics are more than adequate. The display takes the form of the view from the cockpit, with ground/horizon/sky instruments and indicators much where you would expect to find them. You can operate the game entirely from the keyboard, or via a combination of joystick and keyboard, and I strongly advise the joystick.

You get a 'flight manual' with the game, which tells you about the Harrier, gives you hints on how to fly it, and describes the mission you're supposed to carry out when you can actually stay in the air.

The mission involves destroying an enemy HQ 500 miles away, but first - you have to destroy the enemy tanks menacing your own ground sites. It might take some time before you establish an operational area free of enemy tanks - a map grid is supplied so you can keep track of where you are in relation to enemy HQ.

The really tricky part comes when you're forced to join battle with enemy aircraft. This is where you really need to understand the capabilities of the Harrier and the classic defence and attack techniques.

A classy, polished and highly addictive simulation, this is a game to keep.