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Do you know who won the battle of Trafalgar? The British? Wrong, it was the French. Or at least it was when I chose to play against the computer in Squirrel Software's smashing little game Trafalgar.

It opens with an overhead view of the British and French fleets facing each other, ready for battle. You can either play an opponent (which allows you to choose your side) or the Electron (when you are the British). Then, as a pointer runs up and down the side of the screen, you pick out which pair of ships are to come alongside each other and let loose a storm of broadsides.

As soon as a pair of warships has been selected, the scene changes. You see the two ships locked in mortal combat while a text window at the bottom of the screen gives the name of the combatants. You control the elevation and firing of the guns (keep an eye on the wind speed) and the aim is to hit the enemy ships before they hit you. Lose all your gun decks and you have to strike your flag and endure the ignominy of being boarded. Lose all your ships and you've lost the battle.

It's an interesting and amusing little game. The controls are easy to use and well explained and the graphics more than adequate. I particularly liked the way the ships show the damage incurred. I also liked the boarding parties - or, rather, my boarding parties.

Combining a war game and an action game - you have to be quick on the trigger - it makes a pleasant change from arcade games which strain your fingers and adventure games that strain your brain. So if you're looking for something different which will appeal to all the family, Trafalgar fits the bill. And what other game gives you the chance to rewrite history?

Trevor Roberts