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It says here "Now is your chance to participate in 1987's most exciting record-breaking event - the first ever successful crossing of the Atlantic ocean by hot-air balloon". Wasn't that just a teensy weeny bit presumptious? Still, if Virgin have jumped the mark by a couple of weeks, it's better than being twelve months late as they were with Virgin Atlantic Challenge (actually, it never appeared). Boats, balloons, what do you suppose is next? Branson crosses the Baltic in a barrel, maybe?

This is a two player game, you can challenge a friend to a quick race, or play against the computer. The screen is split horizontally, with the Virgin balloon occupying the top half and the other one in an identical area below it. This second balloon is the one flown by that other blokke whose name escapes me for the moment because he's not only a real balloonist and not A Famous Person with lots of money to spend on whacky ideas.

So you've got two balloons, one at the top with Virgin written on it, one at the bottom with nothing written on it - probably couldn't get a sponsorship. In addition to the balloons, there is a sort of flight path indicator which shows the most direct route - a straight back line - and the position of your balloon, usually miles to the left or right. Now, the problem with games like this is that there isn't really an awful lot for the spectator to do, other than watch the things float from one side of the Atlantic to the other.

So you have to invent something. How about an eagle then? This eagle could be a sort of mascot and protect the balloon from bombing bi-planes, cruise missiles and the like. Obvious when you think about it. Things are beginning to take shape here. So far, we've got two competitors with a balloon and an eagle each. Each player has control of their respective eagle which must do everything in its power to keep the balloon airborne and on course. Apart from defending your balloon from the bombs and missiles, there are one or two other crucial tasks to perform - these are all carried out via icons on the right of the screen.

The most important thing is to keep the balloon in the air when the altitude starts to drop - keep your eyes on the indicator, your eagle must give a few blasts on the burner. Don't go mad with the burner, the fuel situation is a bit tight to say the least. You shouldn't need to use any fuel during the day, the heat from the sun is enough to keep the balloon airborne. If you get a direct hit from one of the planes however, the balloon will spring a leak and you may have to compensate. By the way, watch out for the thing that looks like a cross between a cruiser missile and Thunderbird One - it's lethal.

Come nighttime, things get a bit chilly and after a while you will start to lose height. The only thing you can do here is to blast on the burner whenever you need it and avoid getting hit at all costs. At night, burst balloons sink like a stone. As soon as dawn breaks, the balloon will start to warm up again and you can relax.

A word on eagle stamina. What with all this flapping around, they get knackered pretty quickly and have to perch on top of the balloon for a bit. Keep an eye on the bird energy meter; if it hits zero Baldy pegs it - and you've only got three. The best time to take a nap is during the day. This is because the extra weight of the bird on the balloon causes it to lose height. In the noon sun this isn't too much of a problem, but a nighttime nap will cost you a lot of fuel, so keep them to a minimum.

If you get bored with keeping your own balloon in the air and on course you can make use of a special icon which enables you to enter your opponent's playing area, shoot at everything in sight and mess with the controls. Things are tricky enough as it is, so to begin with I'd recommend you sign a 'no messing' truce to begin with.

Trans-Atlantic Balloon challenge is a great idea, if a little unrealistic, and it's also fun to play - especially for two players. It's let down a bit by the presentation - it looks as though it was thrown together in a bit of hurry. For example, if you crash the game cuts to a short animation of your balloon ditching in the drink followed by a message - 'you have failed in your bid to cross the Atlantic'. [I thought it was pretty realistic - Ed]. Whereas if you get the damn thing across all you get is a similar landing sequence and 'Congratulations, you have been successful in your bid to cross the Atlantic'. After all the effort I put in it just seemed like a bit of an anticlimax, that's all.

Apart from that little gripe, this one's OK by me. Shame he didn't wait a few months though, he could have suspended himself below a hundred foot long Matey boy or whatever he's calling them. Mind you, get a hole in one of those and you're really in trouble.