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This game gained a certain infamy even before it hit what passes for streets around here. Let's not be too prissy, it was the amazing vanishing nipples that did it. The original adverts for Game Over featured a female with those attributes prominent, as they say. Later adverts were modified to omit them, however those who care passionately about matters mammary will be relieved by the loading screen. I'm glad I've got that off my chest...

Somebody shouted: "But what about the game?".

Thank you, sir. Having dispensed with the sex, I'm happy to report that the violence is left untouched. A hero, Arkos by name, was once the right hand man (man isn't exactly specified, but. given the undeniable nature of the aforementioned attributes, I feel we can take it as read that the protagonists in the plot are as close to homo sapiens as makes no discernable difference) of the absolute ruler of these parts, Gremia. And what do you mean, you've forgotten the beginning of the sentence?

Together, this team was tri-nitrotoluene. None could stand before them. They could even spell invincible. But power corrupts, and absolute power makes you forget about arms deals. In short, Ramleg lost her marbles, and Arkos is set to do her in and set the galaxy to rights.

As is the norm in these sort of' games, the dramaturgists dash around a scene set with platforms, lifts, and other architectural acoutrements. LaMarg has a formidable army of robots, which glide and swoop around the place, loosing off bolts of an un-named and unhealthy nature.

As Arkon has a limited energy supply, and each bolt drains a unit, he is understandably keen to indulge in a little discorporation. He is kitted out with a gun and grenades, both of which have this much desired antirobot feature.

Robots can also be sent to their maker by physical contact. This activity is also a tad draining on Arkos, who loses three times as much energy this way than by sitting there and absorbing bolts. As luck would have it, there are containers with extra energy about the place, and three shots from Arkos' gun opens them up.

Identical containers contain extra grenades, power, invulnerability shields ( with very vulnerable batteries) and the odd mine. These last objects are deadly to Arkos, but as he can't tell what lies in wait until he opens the container...

I forgot to mention the laser bases, green monsters. ships, Giant Orko and his mate, the Giant Robot. And possibly I omitted to mention the Giant Guardian, the Leiser-Freisers and the Kaikas. This last mob live on the second planet to be visited (and to be loaded off tape), Skunn.

The first planet, called Hypsis, is a mere playground on which Arkos can sharpen up his lets-fall-down-dead routine. He's going to do a lot of that. Hypsis is linear — the action progresses from left to right in Manic Miner fashion. Skunn is more your Wet Set Jelly pattern, the rooms are connected top and bottom as well as left and right.

Get the picture? Arkos has got the picture. And the laser bolts. And the undivided attention of the Giant Orko. But will he get the girl?

I wanted, begged, abjected myself most horribly to review this game. I even gave Liz her Konix back, and all on the basis of seeing a screen over the Ed's bony shoulder. The graphics are horribly good, as the room switch rather than scroll give the Z80 time to animate an unreasonably large number of unreasonably well-designed sprites. But the game is just too damned difficult. Too many lasers, too few lives. But true zapheads will enjoy it, and get a fulsome sense of achievement after completing a screen. Imagine(1984) get better and better.

Dinamic certainly knows where they are coming from. Other than Spain, that is. That is the Spanish company which has tied up a deal with Imagine to sell its software over here.

Imagine has got a good deal, The program is excellent. It is difficult, you could do with several more lives, going back to the beginning every time you die is a real pain. Obviously from the same stable as Army Moves.

Crouch, jump, sweat, zap. A demanding game, this 'un. Full of irksome promise, too, as lifts drift out of sync, mines blow you up and ten zillion zillion nasties converge on your heroic last stand.

There are two games here; you get to play the second, even more hairtearingly hard, alter completion of the first. The consolation prize of an exceptionally pretty demise makes up for my ineptitude at winning. But I can't wait for Hairy Hacker's cheat sheet!