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With the shows back drawing huge audiences on the Beeb, a new series planned and an avalanche of merchandise waiting to spring into the shops, one of the most anticipated games of the year has finally arrived on the Game Boy. It involves five huge vehicles and five brave brothers...

SCi's new action game Thunderbirds could have been a complete disaster. Time and again, when a game appears bearing the name of a popular movie, TV series or cartoon, the game itself seems to matter less than the name being marketed. It can totally fail to do justice to the feeling of the original movie/show or indeed, be worth playing in the first place. However, having watched Thunderbirds develop from the early stages of game design, there's no denying that there are exceptions to this rule. Thunderbirds truly does justice to the legendary adventures of International Rescue.

In this game, you get to take over all five of the famous Thunderbirds vehicles, plus Lady Penelope's pink Rolls Royce, FAB1. Each vehicle has to be mastered in order to get through the individual levels, foiling the world-dominating plans of the really rather evil super villain The Hood. So what are you waiting for?

In your role as trainee International Rescue agent, you've got to fight your way through 22 seriously challenging levels, in environments ranging from the tropical heat of the Indian jungle to the icy blasts of the North Pole. There's even a fab training option, to get you geared up for victory!

Piloting Thunderbird 1 sees you scrolling across these landscapes rescuing hostages and bombing enemy satellites and such, whereas Thunderbird 2's adventures take place with an overhead view, as you make your way around maze-like enemy bases. Thunderbird 4 cruises around the brilliantly detailed depths of the ocean, while Thunderbird 3 has to be navigated through space debris to complete its missions. There are even levels where you get to guide The Mole through underground caverns. When driving FAB 1 it's another overhead race for time throgh the streets of London.

There are different tasks for every level, and best of all, different characters contact you throughout the missions to give you tips and extra jobs to do. This not only makes an otherwise extremely taxing adventure into just a great challenge, and adds an extra depth of recognition to the game - you really feel like a member of International Rescue!

A ripping adventure with very carefully set difficulty levels, great graphics and sounds, and a real sense of character to it, Thunderbirds definitely does justice to the name. Folks with a total allergy to racing games or shoot-'em-ups may have preferred a platform game where you can control the actual puppets themselves and, who knows, a follow-up may be on the cards. But then both Thunderbirds fans and fans of great videogames will love this exciting, well-made game, with no strings attached.

Thunder, thunder, thunder, thunder CATS! What, it's Thunderbirds? Oh, well, never mind, it's still a brilliant game.

With several different styles of gameplay, it's impossible to get bored, even if you're not a fan of flying spaceships or blowing things up. And you get to drive a pretty pink car!

Graphics 100%
So much effort has been put in.

Sound 80%
Altogether now. 5-4-3-2-1...

Playability 100%
Changing game types and loads of action!

Lastability 60%
It's fab while it lasts.

Overall 96%
Absolutely F-A-B action!