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Poor old Mr. Reagan. He's finished being President of the USA, but still those terrorists won't leave him alone. They've gone and kidnapped the senile old duffer and are threatening to kill him if all America's nuclear missile codes aren't handed over to them. Obviously, the government aren't going to waste any of their proper soldiers on the inevitable rescue bid, and so they hire you, a top mercenary, to do the deed.

This means you wander up the screen in the style of the old game Commando and shoot everything. This includes enemy soldiers, enemy tanks, enemy jeeps and even enemy trees! A fair smattering of collectables are yours for the taking, should you find them, and these should doubtless aid you in your battle against a huge piece of war machinery at the end of each level, such as fighter planes, battleships, helicopter gunships and a giant bomber.

Can you save the ex-president and dispose of the terrorist threat? Remember, the entire free world is depending on you.

Crates are liberally spread around the scenery. Shooting these reveals a handy item. It could be a weapon, a Mega Crash bomb, energy-restoring food, mega-energy-restoring med kits, speedy boots, an armour jacket, a power upgrade for your existing weapon, or even deadly dynamite which explodes and kills you!

The original Mercs arcade game was a three-player feast of violence and death. Apart from losing two players, the Megadrive conversion retains all of the levels, enemies and playability of its arcade parent.

But how are you supposed to pay for all this? With the mdeals that you find by shooting crates, of course!

One of the best ways to make quick advancements in Mercs is to capture an enemy vehicle. First, kill the driver, then hop in and enjoy a spell of invincibility and super firepower! Jeeps are the most common vehicle, but for real destruction, try a tank or gun turret, and for water-borne death and devastation, steal an inflatable attack dinghy!

This gives you the equivalent of five lives and an instant selection of weapons. Other than the shotgun, all the arcade guns are available, as well as two new ones: the laser rifle and homing missiles!

In the death 'n destruction stakes, this spot-on conversion takes some beating, featuring some of the meatiest mega-weapons ever seen in a game of this kind!

The graphics are excellent, with plenty of small, but nicely detailed sprites running around trying to bring about your demise, and sound consists of thumping soundtracks and even louder explosions.

With two different games in one cartridge, shoot-'em-up fans who ask Santa for Merc will have themselves a very merry Christmas!

Mercs excels in every area; the graphics are superb, the sound produces some very satisfying explosions and general death-related noises and the gameplay is faultless.

This would be enough, but there's also the original mode which actually betters the arcade game in terms of playability!

Presentation 81%
Standard options, animated intros and great shop and mercenary select screens on original mode.

Graphics 89%
Loads of great sprites, backgrounds, animation and effects. Just watch 'n burn!

Playability 91%
The straightforward, high-quality blasting action results in instant addition.

Lastability 83%
Loads of levels and two different games will keep blasting fans happy well into the New Year.

Overall 88%
A stunning conversion made even better with the addition of a second, expanded game on the cartridge. Blasting fans shouldn't miss it.