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Constabulary duties to be done, a policeman's life is not a happy one. Especially when some particularly nasty felons have half-inched all the Groove Town police cars, leaving you to give chase on a kiddy's Astrohopper.

This is not as bad as it seems, because Groove Town is quite small, with only 13 different streets. They scroll by smoothly and speedily, which is not all that surprising when you consider that only a tiny horizontal strip is used for action, the rest being used for information about the crimes and their locations.

There are four different types of miscreants, all with their own traits. One carries the loot and is harmless. Another shoots at you. Yet another throws a club at you while the last drops tacks.

Being shot at or hit by a bullet slows you down and the tacks deflate more than your ego. The criminals must be bounced on before they will submit to your long arm. They are not too keen on this, and will take any evasive action possible.

Turning into streets is very quick - the merest flick of the joystick with a touch on Fire will cause you to turn at an intersection. The robbers have a habit of coming almost within reach then disappearing down a side street, so your manoeuvreability is useful.

Hopper Copper is a moronically simple game. It's not a classic, but better than watching the rain.