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Gasp! Shock! A megalomaniac woman called Madame Q has devised a plan to create an army of genetic mutants for immediate world domination. Is this all happening in the back parlour of some B&B in Ludlow? No! Heaven forid! Madame Q's headquarters are deep underwater, tucked away from prying eyes and would-be do-gooders like you.

Each level of Thunderjaws is split into two multi-loaded sections. The first involves scuba-diving to one of Madame Q's bases; in the second, you find yourself inside a base, warding off mutants as the screen scrolls merrily along.

Take Level One, for example. After your ship has dropped you into the briny, it's case of blasting everything in sight with your harpoon gun. Sharks, piranhas, manta-divers are determined to stop you reaching each base.

Sometimes extra weapons can be picked up from the seabed, as well as energy-boosting cannisters. Having shot your way through the base door, it's time to do battle with the mutants on land. Expect to see Robot-guards, Robo-dogs, Lava-men, Fire-Women and Spider-bots. These will either drop from higher platforms or appear from behind closed doors. Hit 'em with your Flame Thrower, Tri Shooter or Super Seeker and they won't stand a chance! But beware: all weapons have a limited lifespan, shown by a counter on-screen.

Reaching the end of each level takes you into battle with a big, bad beastie. Defeat him and it's back on with the scuba gear, for another underwater sequence.

All eight levels follow the same pattern, with variations in difficulty and gameplay. It all sounds good fun but unfortunately Domark have rushed out another barely-well-not-really-passable coin-op conversion. The graphics are dull, especially in the base section, and things move too slowly for a shoot-'em-up. Then there's the annoyingly frequent multi-load and graphic glitches. In short, what could have been a speedy, action-packed shoot-'em-up has turned out as a slow, uninspiring load of flotsam and jetsam.

Presentation 57%
Teeth-gratingly over-frequent multi-load, but alternating two-player mode and two continue-plays.

Graphics 52%
Backdrops are poor and sprites unremarkable, but bubble explosions are pretty and end-level monsters attractive, in a wimpy kind of way.

Hookability 46%
Very easy to get into but the multi-load soon becomes irritating due to the short levels.

Lastability 39%
Two different types of gameplay, both as repetitive and boring as each other does not make for a compulsive long-term challenge.

Overall 44%
A disappointing conversion.