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This game is likely to set two records before it is even loaded! First, for the longest title and, second, for the heaviest package - the disc comes with a 930 (!) page reference book.

Aimed at 11 to 15 year olds, the game is actually a mixture of game and geography tutor. But don't let that put you off. It is fun. You play the part of a private detective trying to track down Carmen Sandiego's notorious gang as they make their way across the world with their ill-gotten gains.

It all starts with a telex from Interpol informing you that a priceless treasure has been stolen from one of thirty capitals around the world. These include well-known cities like London and Paris and some more obscure ones - hands up if you can mark Moroni or Kigali on a map!

To catch the big boss you must first identify him or her and then get a warrant for arrest. Next you have to *find* him or her. The obvious starting point is the scene of the crime - this is where each case begins. Here, you have four alternative courses of action: you can check with the airport for the available flight connections; you can catch a plane; you can investigate yourself or you can contact Interpol.

In each capital there are three places to investigate - e.g. the library, stock exchange, docks, here you get clues as to where chummy may have fled. For example, if the librarian told you that the suspect asked for a book on the Eiffel Tower, it is a reasonable assumption that Paris should be your next port of call. Each investigation takes a certain amount of time so that you have to balance the gaining of information against your deadline - you only have one week. Flights also take time and you need to sleep.

Evidence must also be found on the suspect in order to make a correct identification and get a warrant issued. Usually, three pieces of personal data have to be fed into the Interpol computer before you are absolutely sure of who you are chasing, both Scar Graynolt and Fast Eddie B may have tattoos and wear a ring... but only Fast Eddie goes mountaineering.

So... why the need for a reference book? Well, the chances are, for instance, that you don't know which country has the baht as its unit of currency so you need to look it up - not all clues are as easy as the one about the Eiffel Tower. You need to know about flags, famous buildings, main industries and major provinces.

The presentation of this game is excellent. It has nice cartoon graphics and simple controls - all menu-driven.

Geographical information is taken in indirectly - no-one makes you sit down and learn anything. The one major drawback as I see it is the book - the American 1986 World Almanac. There is so much information in it that actually extracting any can be very frustrating indeed.

A lot of people have difficulty understanding a railway timetable, so a book like this is likely to be overwhelming. A junior version of the book, or even a database on the disk, would have been preferable. The book apart though, I can think of worse ways of revising for a geography exam.