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Bangkok Knights has already been previewed at length in the October ish. Since then the game has undergone much tweaking after System 3 made a fact-finding tour of the flesh-pots of Thailand, accompanied by freebooting journalists and assorted liggers [Oi! - Ex-Ed]

Such unstinting dedication to the cause of authenticity, and no-expense-spared pandering to the baser desires of computer hacks, will not, of course, influence this reviewer in the slightest. Mainly because the cheap-skates at System 3 didn't invite me.

For those of you who've been asleep for the past six months, Bangkok Knights is the latest fight simulation from the lads who brought you International Karate Plus and The Last Ninja. This one is based on the ancient martial art of Thai boxing, one in which the fighters use their footsies as well as their fisties.

The game features eight opponents, controlled either by the computer or by a friend, and they're probably the largest animated characters ever seen in a beat-'em-up. As well as kicking the stuffing out of each other, they can also move in eight directions, in and out of the background scenery which scrolls accordingly. So there's scope for some tactical retreats and even some sight-seeing too.

The first four heavies, encountered on cliff-tops, forest paths and amongst the vegetable stalls of a Bangkok marketplace, are amateurs who are not averse to using unconventional tactics. Dan Fists has got some ninja voodoo up his sleeve, and Bambo Man's got an over-arm piledriver which leaves you crumpled like a concertina. These comical moves are only used occasionally, and don't detract from the overall realism of the combat scenes.

And if you succeed in defeating this lot (by three knockouts in each five-round fight) you get to cross pinkies with the very best of the Bangkok Knights in the brightly-lit ring of the Lumpini Stadium, kicking off with Siam Sally.

Perhaps surprisingly, there are less joystick fighting moves than you'd expect - eight in all, and two of these are defensive blocking actions. Experienced beat-'em-up enthusiasts, who first cut their teeth and snapped their sticks on Exploding Fist, will probably find this a doddle, and for wimps there is a 'computer-aided multi-function joystick option' (i.e. cheat mode). This uses only four joystick moves to simulate all the shin kicks, knee blows, jump kicks, elbow blows and the rest, with the computer deciding which is the best move to make from the two available at each joystick position. Opting for this mode won't make any of the fights a pushover, but it does allow you to get to grips with the game right from the start.

The graphics throughout are exquisite, and full of details that you tend to overlook on first play - like the beggar and his cat, the eyes in the undergrowth, the splashing puddles - and there are some nifty dissovles and fade-outs. The sound effects are less impressive: peculiar swishing noises and a strangely mundane Hubbard soundtrack.

Still, Bangkok Knights remains a notable achievement.