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Design People Software hasrecently released Tanks! as a follow up to its successful Sink The Bismarck program. So if you're tired of steaming around the Atlantic, jump in your panzer and blast your way across Europe instead.

Tanks! is sold on disc only, as the program loads new code and data as the game develops. You are offered a choice of three scenarios: Western Europe 1944, North Africa 1942 or Russian Front 1943.

Having decided whether to represent the Allies or the Germans, it's time to select your forces. You have an allocation of 1000 points with which to build your army of tanks and support units. Each unit is worth a specific number of points, depending on how powerful it is.

Every vehicle is displayed as a token on the playing area, but as these all look the same you have to select a unit with the cursor to discover what type it is, which soon becomes tedious. Enemy tanks are not displayed until one ofyour own units moves within sight. The movement phase of the game involves placing a cursor on the unit you wish to move. A simple, large scale diagram of the unit and its surrounding area is displayed.

If you move within range of an enemy tank the combat phase of the game is loaded. This could be loosely termed an arcade sequence - the two vehicles are small, hi-res characters. By rotating the turret you can fire on the enemy, and the result is displayed on a status window at the top of the screen. The action is nowhere near as much fun as that of Sink The Bismarck.

Passing too close to an enemy stronghold usually results in bazooka shells whizzing in your direction.

This sequence of movement and combat continues through the game, with the occasional air raid thrown in for good measure.

Sink The Bismarck was an excellent game: Unfortunately, Tanks! is not in the same league.

Jon Revis