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Oh Xarq! I was beginning to wonder whether the title of the game was some obscure Rumanian swearword when my Nik Nik Hi-Speed Hydraboat was zapped by a torpedo/gun turret/jet fighter for the trillionth time in a couple of hours.

Xarq isn't the easiest of games to get into. Then, coming from the Ram Jam Corporation you wouldn't really expect it to be, would you?

You'll probably recognise the similarities between this game and Ram Jam's other arcade excursion, Panzadrome. There's the same totally wreckable scenery - but in this case roads and tanks have been replaced by canals and boats.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to enter Xarq - a self regenerating computer-controlled base on a planet covered by oceans - and destroy the central power reactor. Why? Because Xarq has thrown a wobbler and is threatening to burn off the surface of the planet.

To reach the central reactor you must find your way through the maze of steel and silicon which is Xarq. Destroying locks and flooding trenches in order to float your heavily armed Nik Nik - does Jim Davidson know about this? - Hydraboat into a strategic zapping position.

Your boat is armed with a laser, guided missiles, a mortar and depth charges. All have limited lifespans and their energy levels can be checked on status meters at the bottom of the main play screen.

Missiles and mortars are controlled via a keyboard/joystick combination. As in Panzadrome you have to give them a range to the target which is indicated by a bar in bottom centre of the screen. Press the appropriate key to access which weapon you want then press the fire button to get the range you want.

It's fairly easy to judge distances if you reckon that one square of the structure is equal to one section of the bar - that's one press of the fire button. The missiles can be guided by the joystick or keyboard.

You have to listen out for submarines - they make sonar type blipping noises. You can knock them out by firing depth charges from the keyboard. But it's difficult to outrun torpedoes once they've been fire at you.

Graphics are attractive - although your Nik Nik boat is small and unimpressive. Sound is average - and gameplay frustrating.

If you liked Panzadrome - and are prepared to stick with the game for a prolonged period of learning - then Xarq could be for you. Otherwise give it a miss.