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During the dark years of the Vietnam War, America's preoccupation with "body counts" showed a final score of 600,000 Vietnamese dead, against 57,939 Americans - and the war still didn't look like it was being won. Vietcong Communist fighters continued to pour down from North Vietnam. It was time to get out. But why were the US there in the first place?

Politics, as always, was the deciding factor. America was worried that South East Asia would become a large foundation stone for a communist world. And it's the political dimension which makes Domark's 'Nam 1965-1975 so different and so difficult.

You assume the role of the American President and you control the troops in South Vietnam, the use of strategic bombing in the North and the level of funding to be given to the South Vietnamese.

Your aim is to either annihilate all the communist regular army (the NVA) and Viet Cong guerillas, or prevent them gaining control of Saigon for at least ten years. Plus, you must stay in power, back home. This is less easy than it seems - the American population quickly tired of seeing the endless flow of body-bags returning home. The more troops you commit to the war, the less popular you become. Larger troop numbers also upset the indigenous population, as outrages like the infamous My Lai Massacre occur.

You keep tabs on your popularity by checking the copies of the New York Times appearing on your desk. You also get advice (sometimes conflicting) from your PR man (who watches the polls), and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the military's front-man). It's then up to you to decide which brigades, battalions and divisions get sent to 'Nam, withdrawn home, kitted out with choppers or made to walk.

You control the troops using a variety of maps, which show units as square blocks. The enemy pop into (and more often out of) sight as you attempt to track and destroy them. You can direct your units around using simple mouse-pointing controls and the troops fight as they close in. Each unit's size and power are represented by the size of its icon, and losses have a marked effect on morale and ability.

A large graph keeps you perpetually reminded of the cost of the operation in terms of human life as well as cash. Using this as a guide you can decide the level of the next year's funding and troop involvement - providing Congress still agrees with you, that is!

While it may be a deeply involved and highly detailed strategic wargame, 'Nam 1965-1975 suffers from poor graphics. It's immediately evident tht the game is a "port-down" from a machine with different graphics capabilities. The digitised screens are all in four-colour medium resolution, so they don't look wonderful.

The introduction of the political battle back home as well as the task of managing a war makes 'Nam 1965-1975 a highly involved task. The enemy is an incredibly resourceful character, prepared to fight to the last man. Your "team" gets morale problems and is directly affected by the support it gets from home. You have only indirect control over these factors.

As an educational experience, and an eye-opener to the demands of being a Head of State, 'Nam is superb. Few wargames come close to providing this level of insight. Historians are going to love it, militarists will attempt new strategies to alter the outcome, and even confirmed pacifists will understad why Vietnam was such a different and deadly war to be responsible for. Gripping stuff - but prepare to be beaten black and blue many times, by both the enemy and your own side.