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"OK John, I want you to climb in through the window and switch off the alarm so you can let Jim in. After that I want you to let Jim into the office to blow the safe. While Jim is working on the sage you can empty out the cabinets into the van.

"Jim. You'll have to work fast to get that lolly out of the safe and get away in time.

"I hope you two know what you're doing 'cos I want this to go right. Especially after the way you messed up the sweet shop caper!"

This is the way you're going to have to start thinking if you want to become a successful criminal in Ariolasoft's original and intriguing offering They Stole A Million.

If you've watched and enjoyed things like Minder and The Sweeney and thought that you could outwit the police then this is the game for you. But don't think it's going to turn you into a Great Train Robber overnight!

The game comes in two parts. In the first you decide what job you're going to attempt and who you're going to use in your team. You use the Crimenet database, which comes complete with S.W.A.G. - Software for Aspiring Gangsters! It's a sort of Compunet for the Arthur Daleys of this world...

All this costs money - and you've only got a £55,000 budget to play with. *Only*?

The blueprints of your chosen target - there are five in all - come free but you have to buy details on the alarm system and what loot is hidden away. Then you have to sign up the villains for your own special A-Team.

You can access the files of eighteen top criminals. Each old lag has a special skill which you may need. You also have to select a "fence". No, not something that goes around your front garden, stupid. He's the guy who gets rid of your ill-gotten gains for you if the raid is successful.

Four criminal types make up the team plus a fence. The computer keeps a check on your spending.

Once you are happy it's time to load up part two. This is where you plan the robbery and stage it.

The planning stage involves giving each member of your team a route or track through the building plus his tasks. You must make sure that they don't get in each others' way and that every action is timed correctly down to the last split second.

This section is all icon-controlled and you can preview and edit all the team members moves. Once you are happy that Fingers isn't going to bump into Scarface at a crucial point in the operation and that Adam Prost (!) the "wheels" man is ready for a quick getaway you can hit the button that puts everything into operation. It's a good idea to check every move thoroughly before you go for it!

As the boss, you get the lookout job. If the cops cruise past in their panda car you can freeze the action until it's safe to proceed again.

You can check on each member of the team and leg-it if things look like there are about to go reels-of cotton.

If you succeed, the game gives you the option to save your winning team and go back to try another job.

The graphics are pretty good - lots of nice pop-up windows in the planning stage. The actual robbery screens are a bit sparse and could have benefited from a few more graphic frills. There's a nice intro tune as well.

They Stole A Million is an original and entertaining game for strategists and arcade adventurers alike. You'll have to think about what you're doing and spend some time setting things up. But don't you just love it when a plan comes together?

"Ok, ok. Stop rabbiting and let's get on with the job, John. You know every second counts in this business!"