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Incarcerated for crimes he did not commit, Neil Jackson attempts to escape from a secret space-prison. But with nothing to help him except his dusty old ST and four cast-offs from Westworld, his chances look slimmer than a snake on a diet...

The extraordinary success of Dungeon Master and its spin-off Chaos Strikes Back made many software houses re-examine their range of programs. The resulting move away from shoot-'em-ups and arcade conversions is what gave birth to games like this one. But that's not to suggest that this RPG is simply a bastardised re-hash of Dungeon Master's successful formula. There's more to it than that!

You've been imprisoned in a space-jail in suspended animation for 200 years. When a computer glitch wakes you up, you're unable to remember why you're a prisoner. All you want to do is get the hell out of your cell and go somewhere more pleasant - like home.

Realising you can't escape by yourself and that food is not usually provided for cryogenic prisoners, you desperately search your cell. You find an out-of-date holographic computer which you use to establish a communications link with a group of androids. If you can control them, these far-distant cyborgs could prove to be your saviours. If they can discover the location of your prison by searching the bases dotted around the galaxy, they could set you free.

Your screen represents the view you see on your holographic-computer. There are a number of small TV consoles, a large view window and hosts of icons for movement and object operation. Virtually everything is controlled using the mouse, but the movement controls have been duplicated on the numeric keypad to make quick getaways even easier.

The main view window shows what the droids see. To begin with, it displays a star map with one tiny, blinking star. Using the up/down movement icons, you can zoom in and out of the map to get a more detailed look at the first base. Centre the crosshairs on it and click on the gold square in the middle of the movement cluster to set the flight path.

During the flight, you can initialise the droids to make them more personable. Clicking the right mouse button on one of the droid position icons brings up an image of that droid and its backpack. Inside each backpack, there's a small silicon chip which you can pick up and position over the droid's brain. A computer keyboard comes up in the main window which you use to enter a name. This automatically sets the droid's level of abilities and dexterity. Do this for each droid and the squad is yours to control.

By now, your ship should have reached its destination and your next move is to launch the landing craft. Place the cursor over the base, as you did before, and click the centre square. A small green shuttle weaves its way to the planet's surface and the main view changes to show the base itself.

Using the movement icons you can send the party into the base. This entrance is nearly always a circular metal door with four triangular buttons around the outside. To open the door, press the four buttons in the correct sequence. It's best to be systematic and go through each permutation rather than just clicking away at random because there are only 24 possible sequences. Once you hit the magic order, the door spins open and you enter the main complex.

Inside the view becomes more atmospheric and a good deal more scary. Passages fade into the distance, twisting and turning as they go. Sooner rather than later, you bump into hostile aliens. These range from tiny dwarf-like creatures which only cause minimal damage to laser-firing, caterpillar-tracked robots who can turn your droids into soup cans.

Don't be shy - attack anything that gives you hassle and destroy it. If you're successful, bags of gold drop from the aliens' death-smoke. Grab all the dosh you can, but remember that you don't have to carry each bag in a separate backpack slot. By placing them on top of each other they empty themselves into just one bag, which is a lot more convenient.

Before long you come across a strange-looking figure hiding behind a wire mesh. Don't shoot him, he's a shopkeeper! Click on his hands to bring up his list of services. He can help you with all kinds of ammunition, repairs and body parts (for a price!).

A computer system is concealed within each base and this holds a disk containing the location of the next base. You need the password to get the disk, so pay a visit to the computer operator. Be warned, though. He is not what he seems! If you attack him, be prepared for a long, bruising struggle.

Each base also hides a power source which provides electricity to operate the doors and power sockets in the walls. The power sockets can keep you alive if you can work out how to use them. The main generators are tall, pulsating blobs of pure energy and to leave the base (after you have the disk) you must destroy them. Simple explosives (available at most good stores) should do the trick, but get ready to leg it after you've thrown it. The ensuing blast takes the whole base out, with you in it if you're not careful!

Captive's pseudo-3D images capture the atmosphere superbly. Long, darkened passages concealing all kind of alien weirdos make for tension, excitement and at times, pure terror. Excellent sampled sound effects back up the images: swooshing doors, the crump-crump of energy bolts and a host of other sci-fi noises.

The innumerable objects to switch on, throw, plug in and generally fumble about with make Captive a mega-challenge. It can take hours to work out that the secret to a simple-looking piece of kit lies in a small, but crucial button you missed so many times before.

A fantastic piece of work, even taking into account that this kind of game has been seen before. Shoot-'em-ups have been plagiarised for years now without too many complaints, so why not rework good role-playing games too. Captive takes the best from the accepted standard and adds to it. More Cyberpunk than fantasy-battle, Captive is bound to appeal to a huge audience, though it's not for those with a nervous disposition.