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Nothing has been heard from Newsfield-owned Thalamus since Martin Walker's brilliant Hunter's Moon was released just before the end of last year. However, the silence is about to be broken with Hawkeye, a horizontally scrolling platform game cum shoot-'em-up written by a trio of Dutch ex-hackers, the Boys Without Brains.

As with all previous Thalamus games, the graphics are of a very high standard. Each level has a gorgeous static backdrop over which the platforms and immediate foreground scroll. The overall effect is very impressive, especially when there are windows or large gaps in the scrolling foreground scenery.

The sound is also commendable. The title track is a little too much like the one on Hewson's Cybernoid for my liking, but the in-game tunes and sound effects are excellent.

So far so good, but what of the game itself? Well, the gameplay is very straightforward, with the player taking control of a lanky, long-haired sprite who runs and jumps across each of the twelve levels in search of puzzle pieces. Apparently, the hero is modelled after Delta and Quedex author Stavros Fasoulas (who, incidentally, is still having fun playing soldiers on the Russian border during his term of National Service with the Finnish army).

There are four puzzle pieces per level, which appear one at a time. The whereabouts of a piece is indicated by the two hawk heads at the top of the screen - if the object is to the left of the hero, the left hawk's eye blinks; the opposite occurs for an item to the right. A puzzle piece is picked up automatically when touched, and when all four are collected the hero can run off the right-hand side of the landscape to finish the level, whereupon the next one is loaded from tape or disk. The multi-load system is very good indeed - while the next level loads, an animated sequence shows Stavvy being 'recharged' and a bonus is awarded for the amount of power and bullets remaining.

Throughout the mission, Stav is beset by a wide range of creatures which attempt to deplete his power by bashing into him. The most common creature is the crappy-looking bouncing duck, but others include beautifully-animated birds and some brilliant giant dinosaurs, caveman and gorillas.

Fortunately, Stav is armed with four types of weapon with which to vanquish the enemy sprites. Machine gun, rocket launcher and laser are all high-powered, but have limited ammo, while the pistol is feeble in comparison but has an endless supply of bullets. Each weapon is selected by using the function keys or by holding fire and moving the joystick left or right, and can be topped up by collecting the glowing icons which regularly appear.

Now all this sounds pretty good, and to be honest when I first played Hawkeye I thought that it was destined for great things. The gameplay is fast and frenetic, but in the end if just boils down to running left and right, picking up pieces while shooting anything that gets in your way, level after level. Shoot-'em-up fans may find this sufficient entertainment, but those who like their play a little more varied, or like using their brains as well as their joysticks might find the action tiresome.

Therefore I've decided that Hawkeye doesn't quite deserve a Screen Star. I also recommend you try it out before parting with your cash.