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Quaid is a man who everyone distrusts, a triple agent who is most cruelly betrayed by himself. As the story opens, Quaid is apparently a happily married construction worker on Earth, but in his increasingly vivid dreams he is a secret agent, fighting a brutal Martian corporation. One day he goes to the offices of Rekall, which specialises in implanting memories of faraway holidays at a fraction of the cost of really going there.

Quaid wants to be implanted with a holiday on Mars in which he's a spy, but the implant process apparently goes wrong. Quaid really is a secret agent, whose real memories have been suppressed. In preparation for such a terrible event, Quaid has contacted a friend to provide himself with clues to his identity.

In level one, a suitcase with some vital equipment and an explanatory video of the old Quaid must be found.

Presented in side-on fashion, Quaid must leap over numerous spikes, jump onto lifts, punch or shoot baddies and work out the right route to level two. The objects he needs have been hidden in crates - opened by punching them. Oxygen bottles must be collected for Mars, plus special weapons such as high-explosive bullets.

One object increases Arnie's strength, shown by his bulging biceps on the left. This means when he dies he can continue-play - if he's got past a certain point on level one; otherwise he just has one life and the energy bar at the bottom.

Levels two and three are overhead race games; the inter-level platform level mentioned in the Zzap preview (several issues ago) has been dropped! Level two is set on Earth, with Quaid taking control of a Johnny Cab in a frantic effort to evade Richter and his thugs - agents of the Martian corporation. Level three takes place on Mars where Quaid has met Melina, a female resistance leader. Together they catch a cab driven by the mutant Benny, but once again Richter is in pursuit.

The final level is similar to the first. Quaid must firstly find the Rebel resistance leader Kuato, who will reveal the location of the alien reactor. This vast machine will transform Mars, releasing oxygen and freeing its people from the tyranny of the Martian corporation led by Cohaaggen. Quaid must find the reactor and defeat Cohaaggen before he blows the reactor up.

I know it's familiar gameplay and it doesn't add anything new over something like Robocop 2, but Total Recall is fun and is padded out with gorgeous presentation. The Meegan style is evident with the platform levels having a certain Untouchables Level 1 feel about them, and this is no bad thing when it comes to playability.

The graphics are adequate and the enemies look good (better than Arnie actually) but I was a little miffed to see that, after the first two great intro screens, the game itself was so lacking in colour.

Difficulty is harsh, especially when you start a new level with no continue-plays left, but I must confess I did enjoy it a lot. Exploring and learning is fun, the incentive to see the bitmap screens strong and there's a pretty decent car sequence to break things up.

The best thriller of 1990 has finally smashed its way onto home computers, but it was a long and gory fight, with Ocean taking the game off Active Minds to finish it in-house. The game is now credited to Mentus Absentia!

Clearly Total Recall isn't a superslick production in the Navy SEALs league, which shows up most clearly in the unremarkable background graphics and blocky, if effective sprites.

Gameplay is an unremarkable mix of combat, exploration and platforms-and-ladders action but it's still addictive to play. Similarly, the overhead-view cab scenes offer very little that's new, but add some much-needed variety.

While Total Recall is a disappointment by comparison with the movie, it's remarkably good for a rewrite, and is likely to provide a good challenge for Arnie fans and mappers.

Presentation 86%
Excellent intro and interlevel screens on disk version, good continue-play and text messages.

Graphics 75%
Unremarkable backgrounds, but blocky sprites actually work well. Cab scenes are okay.

Sound 80%
Choice of ominous, bass-heavy soundtrack or spot FX.

Hookability 80%
Tough start, but once you learn the route, addiction sets in.

Lastability 72%
Four levels provide a substantial challenge.

Overall 76%
Familiar gameplay, but playable and well-executed.