My award for blurb of the year must go to Ultimate for the sleeve of Tranz Am.

The waffle which, needless to say, the game does not live up to, goes on for seventeen lines before coming to the actual playing instructions - all three lines of them! However, labelled diagrams of the screen were presented and gave me some idea of what to expect.

You control a small red car (described as "A Super Blown Red Racer") which buzzes ("thunders") around the barren land - a scrolling play area at least 600 times screen size and a strong point of the program.

Your task is to collect the eight gold cups while avoiding the zippy little "Deadly Black Turbos" who are well programmed and at times quite frightening in their endeavours to collide with you.

Fuel can be replenished by driving over petrol stations (obviously the Highway Code went up with the bombs in 3472), while overheating causes drastic speed loss almost always at precisely the wrong moment.

All in all, it's a good game and initially I found it quite compulsive.

T.B.