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Infogrames produce games with a definite French flavour and the ideas contained in them are like a breath of fresh air.

The Inheritance tells the strange tale of Peter Stone, a down-at-heel bum living in a dilapidated tenement block in New Haven. Peter is in debt to just about everyone in the building and just wants to lie on his bed and fade away.

A sudden knock at the door makes him snap out of his dejected state and, even though he thinks it will be yet another demand for money from his neighbours, he answers the door. Instead of the angry face of a creditor he finds that the visitor is the bearer of glad tidings.

In appears that he is to inherit a fortune from his aunt's will but there are strings attached. Along with a gift of $200 and a plane ticket to Las Vegas, he is given a note. He must go to Vegas and emulate his aunt's good fortune in the Thirties. In one night in Vegas she won a million and he must do the same if the inheritance is to be his.

Grabbing a flight bag, you must help him pack for his journey. To find objects in the graphic representation of his room, you move a cursor about and press the fire button to open doors and drawers. In the same way you select items which then appear in the case at the right of the screen.

Once the bag is filled, Peter must run for the door without meeting any of the neighbours. If he should bump into someone on the way out they will demand the return of an item stolen at some time in the past. If this is in your bag, they will be placated if you hand it over. If you haven't got it then you must go back and get it immediately. You can try threatening your accuser with a knife, axe or gun but this is liable to end in a trip to jail.

An eventual escape from the block will reveal a code which allows entry to phase two of the game at the airport.

You have arrived with only a few minutes to spare before your flight takes off for Vegas. On the way in, you appear to have lost something vital to your journey and you have to get it back and find your departure gate before it's too late.

In the final stage of the game you have to earn a million dollars overnight by fair means or foul in the casinos and clip joints of the neon city.

Apart from the usual array of one-armed bandits, roulette wheels and crap games, there are several illicit ways of earning money by extortion, theft and Russian roulette. It is soon made clear to you that you've only got enough cash to legitimately earn money on the fruit machines and this is a slow way to a million dollars so it's a trip down the back streets for easy money.

By far the most risky but potentially rewarding way to amass a fortune is to gamble with your life at Russian roulette. As you select the gun with the cursor, it appears in full graphic detail pointing straight at your head. Press the trigger and you're 30,000 dollars nearer your goal if your luck's in or a wooden overcoat if it's not.

In another office you can steal ornaments, if you're careful, and sell them to earn a few hundred extra dollars.

When you eventually earn enough to try your luck at the gaming tables, you have to resist the temptation to throw it all away on a few rash bets or your fortune and the inheritance will slip through your fingers.

A brutal analysis of this game is that it culminates in nothing more than a collection of casino games strung together by a thin storyline. In fact, it is the storyline which makes the game. Once you reach the final stages with just a few dollars in your pocket the urge to amass your fortune is quite strong and this adds the bite which ordinary casino games lack. After coming so far you must succeed or all your efforts will have been in vain.

I am sure that anyone who buys this set of games will find that the cost is outweighed by the enjoyment. Even when you can crack the first two stages with your eyes closed, the risk element of the Vegas games will keep you coming back for more.