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Trap is set a long way into the future - not just the odd few thousand years, no, we're talking aeons here, a time where the ultimate deterrent may become the ultimate destruction of life as we know it.

As pilot of an Intergalactic Hyper Hearse you have penetrated a place where human life strains to exist. Your mission is to defend your home planet against your once peaceful ally. The problem you are faced with is this: can aggression and mindless violence further the cause of peace which you are trying to restore? A tricky question to answer, but being the hero that you are you must succeed and prove yourself worthy as a legendary space fighter.

Your life-endangering mission is split into three parts, each testing various aspects of your skills. The first section tests your manoeuvring and reflex capabilities in flight. To do this the nasty forces have launched a hail of volatile space mines which your ship has either to avoid or obliterate. Luckily, your battle cruiser is equipped with the latest in trendy high powered space blasters.

Having survived the shower of mines you find yourself flying over the Zarkab Valley, complete with rivers and rapids - a test of courage and intelligence. There are three forms of invading nasties which have to be destroyed: meteors; alien craft, which can be attacked from the front or annihilated with a quick blast of your exhaust pipe; and lasers which flit across the valley and have to be cut off before you can proceed. Accompanying these meanies are an assortment of aliens, such as a fleet of Police Craft.

Fuel depots are scattered across the landscape and provide extra power when bombed. Oh, by the way - brown and black aliens can't be destroyed, no matter how hard you blast 'em. They are only present to cause trouble.

The final part of the test places you far from your craft on a distant plain. This is designed to test your stealth and determination on foot, and is reminiscent of Commando in that you have to battle your way through the undergrowth, blowing everything to smithereens. Most important here is the collection of spherical objects which are in fact Orbs, the currency at the future. With sufficient Orbs yow can buy a more powerful space craft which will help you as your quest continues.

Your score is displayed alongside the playing area and also shows the amount of lasers, boats and aliens which have to be destroyed.

Hold down SHIFT and type RAT while on the title screen to access some hidden options.

Enter DEMO in the hi-score table to access the hidden demo.

I like this. It's certainly not the best shoot em up around, but it's enjoyable and great fun to play. There are plenty of nice little touches about the program, like the cargo catching, the way you have to shoot a set amount of targets and Commandoesque bonus bit at the end. The hidden demo program is also superb - it realty livens up the whole package. The game requires a fair bit of playing before you can get anywhere with it, and doing so is enjoyable and worthwhile. The graphics are fine and the sound great - if you're into shoot em ups then check this one out.

There does seem to be a spate of shoot em ups infiltrating the 64 market at me moment, and I am happy to say that Trap is one of the better ones. The game itself is fun to play and a mention must go to the atmospheric accompanying music which is very impressive. As well as a game, there is a neat demo mode which features a bloke playing a tom-tom whilst watching a screen on which a science fiction film is presented. The graphics are fun, the sound is super, and overall it's a jolly good package for hardened shoot em up fans and beginners alike.

I admit that the graphics are all very colourful, and the sound is fairly good too - but the game? Where is the game? All Trap consists of is your basic shoot em up, and what a basic idea it is. I felt that however far I got there was no actual difference in the game, only in the amount at baddies on the screen. The whole of the game is very Commando-ish, and just a case of progressing over the same landscape again and again. But if you don't like the game you could always watch the demo, which must be one of the best presented I've seen on the Commodore. But a program shouldn't consist of pretty graphics and flashy demos alone!

Presentation 96%
Interesting documentation and many neat touches such as the demo.

Graphics 80%
Big, bold and on the whole well defined, although somewhat 'lacking' at times.

Sound 96%
Stunning soundtrack and lots of good, muffled spot FX.

Hookability 82%
Weird, but addictive.

Lastability 79%
Ten tough and demanding levels to keep you going.

Value For Money 81%
A neat demo and lots of good solid blasting for your money.

Overall 82%
A good shoot em up with many attractive features.