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Hiro, the last Bladeknight, stands alone and stares across the barren, red wastelands that were once the peaceful world of Thraxx. He is the only survivor of a terrible war, waged by Havok and his nightmarish forces, who rose up and shattered the Fireblade, the power source of the people of Thraxx. Now he must avenge the death of his race by entering the Undercity, Havok's lair, piecing together the sixteen segments of the chattered blade and using it to kill Havok...

The mission starts near the entrance of the Undercity, a sprawling hazard-packed labyrinth that's heavily populated by Havok's hordes who attack Hiro on sight.

Being a Bladeknight, he is skilled in combat, but sometimes even his powerful punches and kicks can't cope with the vicious onslaught, and his energy bar is worn down as the enemy strike. If the bar is worn down five times his mission is over.

But things aren't all bad - sometimes extra energy capsules and even weapons such as guns and firebomb launchers can be found by kicking open false panels in the walls. Extra weapons are extremely useful, but because the power of the Fireblade has been destroyed, they only work for a limited period of time.

The pieces of the Fireblade are hidden throughout the Undercity, often in rooms whose doors are hidden behind walls which break when punched or kicked. So when you enter a new room, check out any likely-looking walls for hidden rooms and secret passages.

When the Fireblade is fully assembled, Hiro can finally hunt down Havok and face him in a final showdown. There can only be one winner...

Switchblade (designed and programmed by Core, who were also responsible for the brilliant Rick Dangerous) is a tremendous game which looks and sounds like a 16-bit product, but plays like a console game. The gameplay is superlative, with a beautifully-balanced difficulty level that is very challenging, but lets you get just a little bit further with every go, making it massively addictive (watch the hours fly by when you're playing it!). There are loads (and I mean loads) of hidden bonuses to discover, and you seem to find something new every game, adding even more lasting appeal.

The graphics are small, but detailed, and the sound is great, with a thumping good soundtrack and excellent spot effects.

But it's the incredibly addictive gameplay that makes Switchblade a classic platform game that no self-respecting games player should be without.

A smashing platform game which combines unbelievably addictive gameplay with great graphics and sound. If you thought Rick Dangerous was good, this will blow your socks off!!!