Legal way to try hacking

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The Hacker is a new release from Firebird Software and, in line with Firebird's radical marketing approach, is available at the crackdown price of£2.50.

Reading through the concise instructions, we appear to be in control of a little sprite called The Hacker whose job is to hack his way into the computer games library.

To enter the system he must overcome the protection on the terminals, modems, buffers and CPUs in his path before reaching the games store.

Needless to say, this epic pirating operation isn't as easy as it sounds.

Each device in his path takes the form of a Manic Miner-type screen packed with platforms, walkways, conveyor belts and various computer components oscillating to and fro.

Each stage also has several floppy discs in it which must be collected before The Hacker can go through the exit and finish that stage.

The first stage deserves special mention since the ladder to reach the top is cunningly concealed. After hurling myself on to most stationary objects I discovered that the flashing title at the edge of the screen could be used for such an operation - very subtle!

There are twelve screens of varied arrangement and each introduces new computer com ponents to be avoided. These include resistors, sparks, silicon chips and system clocks.

The graphics are highly detailed and well animated.

Another nice touch is the wonderful tune that plays during loading, though if tunes aren't your scene it can be cancelled. The sound effects during play are well thought out, as are the straightforward keyboard controls.

Though clearly in the Manic Miner vein, it's a challenging version of the old favourite and at the price you needn't bother breaking into the computer games library for a copy of it.

David Slater