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Here it is. The review that everyone's been waiting for. Barry Norman, Leon Spinks and Princess Di all wanted to write it. But luckily for us, James Leach is the only human qualified to take on the Cod...

Gosh. RoboCod. What a game to convert to the C64. I mean, RoboCod on the 16-bit machines is a massive, humungous effort, isn't it? Hundreds of screens, bus-loads of baddies and thousands of collectables. Can they possibly fit all this into a machine with a memory that is (to use a technical term) smaller.

Well if you read last month's preview, you'll already know the answer. If not, the answer's yes. Somehow, Data Designs, the Halesowen-based programming team, have managed to cram into the C64 version of RoboCod everything (and that means everything) that you'll find in both the Amiga and ST versions. How? Well, er, it's a bit complicated, so let's not bother about that now. Anyway, the thing we've got to suss out is whether the game gives you large and continuous amounts of enjoyment.

The plot is incredibly silly. It's packed to the gills with rather groan-worthy fish-related puns, too, which might give you a haddock after a while. Anyway, F.I.S.H is a special counter espionage department of the Special Secret Special Service (Special Secret Division). F is the head of this organisation, and he's a worried man. Or fish, depending on how much detail you want to get out of this preamble. The evil Dr Maybe has started his interfering in Santa Claus's toy-construction facility at the north pole. Of course, this cannot be tolerated, so RoboCod, the top agent controlled by F, is sent to investigate.

This is how you come to be standing outside what appears to be a massive castle high in the Arctic. Behind the multitude of doors that face you are ten levels of mad platform fun.

Each level is pretty large. As with all the best games, they get bigger as you complete them in sequence, but the sheer size of the playing area is quite a surprise, I can tell you. I know I've said it before, but all the levels are the same size as the Amiga versions. I still can't get over that.

Each level has a sort of toy-related theme. For example, there's a level which is filled with all manner of luscious sweets. It's toothrot city, but Robo must chomp and collect his way round it, trying to find the penguins.

This is the key to each level. There's a load of penguins hidden somewhere on every one, and only when you've got them can you head off to the weird barber's pole exit (again cunningly concealed on each level).

This means that you don't have to kill all the baddies you find. There are plenty of them, and they don't half get in the way sometimes, but the aim of the whole thing is to get through it collect the penguins and wobble over to the exit.

RoboCod does have some offensive powers, though (and we're not not talking bad breath here). Being encased in a titanium suit of armour, just like his big brother Alex Murphy, means that our chummy little cod can jump on people and flatten them. If you pull down on the joystick when you're flying through the air, he retreats into his armoured shell and clunks heavily on to the head of the victim. Some nasties (notably the Bertie Bassetts that crop up on the sweets level) need a few bounces before they vanish in a cloud of monosodium glutamate, but it's worth doing because the points bonuses are dead healthy for topping such big chaps.

But if you want, you can generally avoid the violence by running past with maximum speed or by using RoboCod's special trick. What he does is stand still and, when you press the fire button, extends his body up to the ceiling. The trouble is, the ceiling might be many, many screens higher than where the young fish is standing. So up he goes. The extension to his little body is unlimited and, as long as some creature doesn't collide with him and he's got something solid to cling on to at the top, he can hoist himself up on to whatever is above him. Once he's hanging on to the roof, he can edge himself along and over the danger. Simple, effective and, it has to be said, completely unrealistic.

A lot of thought has gone into the mechanics of the game as well. Without a doubt, Data Designs have managed to get the C64 version running more smoothly than the ST version. No mean feat when you consider the memory restrictions. They've also given the cod himself a real sense of momentum and inertia. This means that when he's running along, he doesn't just stop dead, but skids to a halt in best cartoon style.

This not only gives the little fellow character, but makes getting over and through tricky places that bit harder. When he's not running anywhere, RoboCod stands and jiggles from side to side. Why? Well I'm not exactly sure. But it might have something to do with the fact that he's dead sweet and adorable or something.

Getting through the game depends very much on what you are able to collect. Strewn all over the place are little blocks in the air. RoboCod must jump up, hit his head against the underside of these and dislodge the goodies, which then appear on the top of the blocks.

Useful ones to get are the umbrella, the extra lives ankh (of course) and the aeroplane. This is a superb bit of graphical achievement, and looks excellent as it buzzes over the level, with Robo peeping out of the front, looking for those vital penguins. The plane makes short work of the platforms, because it can go anywhere, climbing and diving like an, er, crazy climbing, diving thing.

Of course, most of the other collectables just give you loads of points, but occasionally the blocks chuck out a bottle with a little skull on it. What do you think it could be? Yes, it's a bottle of poison. Collect it and that's a life you've lost. And it serves you right for being too enthusiastic.

At this point, you might be wondering if there is anything at all about RoboCod which is below par. The answer is, er, not really. I'm pretty sure that it's the biggest game ever to be seen on the C64 (there are ten absolutely massive levels, and the compression techniques to get them into the C64 are completely new and innovative. They'd have to be, mind you, because there's an awful lot going on.

If I was pressed, I'd say that the backgrounds are a bit drab. On many of the levels, the colours are weird pastels, which are a bit miserable considering the generally cheerful humorous outlook of the game. It's not a big problem, but it's something that you start to notice if you're in a mega-big playing session.

The idea that this is an exploring game rather than a get-past-the-baddies job works well. You do lose lives of course, because you can make a complete mess of getting past a spiky pit or over a Bertie Bassett alien.

The tune is as good as you'll hear on a C64. If you've heard the music to RoboCop, you'll recognise a vastly speeded up version at the beginning of RoboCod. Once you get into the game, a different tune starts up and plays throughout. It's one of those hummable little ditties that stays in your brain for days, and gives you flashback nightmares after you've gone to bed and it's all quiet.

The graphics have captured the 16-bit style well. Cod himself is a bit small to see clearly, but does everything he's meant to. And that goes for the whole game. Rush trout on your mountain pike to the shops and buy it.

1. Are the backgrounds really as nice as the rest of it? No.

1. It's as fast as any platform-style game you'll find around at the moment.
2. It's very smooth with its eight-way scrolling (smoother than the ST version!).
3. The size of it is immense; as big as the Amiga version, and with all the same things in.
4. Absolutely loads of secret rooms and hidden things.
5. The sound is rather pleasant too.
6. It's not just killing baddies, but exploration and the like as well.
7. Loads of humour and cuteness make it amusing.
8. He dances very well!