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There's nothing like more after a hard day at the office than to slide. into my Scorpion tank and ride rough-shod over a few villages, bumping off its inhabitants as evening falls. I'm not the only one either, in fact, so many people do the same Micro Illusions have produced a C64 game based on this popular pastime.

The instructions on the inlay card are laughable. The plot goes like this: wait for it... CAPTURE THE FLAG! And that's about it.

The game is always played head-to-head with each player, whether he's human or computer controlled, trying to capture the other one's flag. If you play against the computer then yours is the only view displayed on screen, Select the two-player option and the display becomes split-screen to cater for an extra pair of eyes.

Each player can also select which type of tank he wishes to control from a choice of three: Scorpion (most powerful), Shadow VI APC (slowest but toughest) and the Marc XJ1 (fastest). Each one has has a different speed, armour value and firing ability which constitutes difficulty levels. Choosing a wimpy tank makes completing the game that bit harder.

Your tank is very unwieldy to control, to begin with but it is ultimately manageable. Basically, the eight joystick positions correspond to the eight possible directions of travel. However, if you're travelling in one direction and then push the joystick in the opposite direction you will reverse rather than do an about-face. In order to travel the opposite way you need to rotate the joystick and physically swing the vehicle around.

Your mission then, is to capture the opponent's flag before he either finds yours or destroys all of your tanks. Easier said than done. What does the flag look like? Er, dunno. Where can it be found? Hmmm, tricky. The phrase 'looking for a needle in a haystack' is a pretty good description of the task that lies ahead. There are two huge military compounds containing gun turrets, hangars, barracks, prison cells, roads, fuel dumps and so on. One compound belongs to you and one is your opponent's. Seek and destroy tactics must be employed here. First find the other player's compound (easy peasy). Then just methodically destroy every single building you encounter.

If you hit a barracks, enemy soldiers rush out. You can kill them by the rather messy technique of running them over. Now, if you hit a prison cell, allies run out instead. Don't kill these guys. Stop your tank and let them climb aboard. If you manage to get fifteen men back to the Red Cross hut in your own compound, an extra tank is awarded (you start the game with a squad of only five tanks).

Keep an eye on your fuel. When it runs out of fuel, the tank explodes to prevent it falling into enemy hands. If your fuel is low, try to find one of the large circular fuel dumps. The act of destroying them refuels your tank as well as annoying the enemy.

One more thing; you can drop mines. But be careful, especially if you're moving. If you unknowingly drop a mine just before you come to a standstill, you'll be caught in its blast. Other than that, it's destroy or be destroyed. If a helicopter appears, make it your priority target, as it causes damage at an alarming rate. Gun turrets too should be destroyed ASAP.

Fire Power isn't the nicest game to look at, especially not first time you set eyes on its garish display. But there is a great deal of attention to detail. The atmosphere generated by the cumbersome tank controls is fairly substantial - as is the feeling of panic when you enter the heavily-guarded compound. And it is this that can keep you playing even if you're making no significant progress.

All in all, Fire Power is a competent game which is sufficiently different to make it worth at least a second look.

1. The play area is huge
2. Squishing people is bloodthirsty but it does add to the challenge
3. Good trundling noises
4. The 'rescue' technique of earning more tanks is really the business
5. Excellent attention to graphical detail
6. Hectic scraps when helicopters and gun emplacements get going
7. A mine dropper's delight!

1. Game slows down when the screen gets busy
2. Strangely, the two-player game can prove monotonous
3. Shame there is no map screen