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Hmm. So we move on to the third part of the Alex Murphy saga. All you basically need to know is that a new, shining Detroit called Delta City has been built by the OCP Organisation, who, being nasty and mean, have installed lots of baddies in it. If you're really into plot structures and stuff, read the Does RoboCop 3 Have A Plot Then? box elsewhere on the page. Or, better still, go and see the movie. Anyway, the point is Delta City's completely packed with baddies. Guess who's got to go and root them all out? Yep. You've got it in one.

The game, true to all licences, doesn't have a huge amount in common with the film's plot, but follows it roughly as you play through the five levels.

If you're a fan of Ocean's previous RoboCop-based efforts, there will be much here to make you feel at home. But it isn't just a case of the same game recycled. Oh dear me, no. For example, the first level is a sort of Op Wolf-style sideways scrolling blaster, which involves you moving your computer-assisted gunsight around the streets and targeting splatterpunks, then blasting them.

You're going to see a lot of splatterpunks in this game. These are the guys who inhabit the city, carry guns and hate cops (especially ones made of metallic substances). You can move your sights up and down, and the screen left and right. The idea is that you've got to take out all the dangerous guys first, before they stop running around in a panic and start firing their shotguns at you. Every time you're hit, it eats into your efficiency percentage.

It's a fast, accurate section, with your sights whizzing back and forth as you follow the guidance given at the top right of the screen, which tells you where the nearest baddies are. If you're clever you'll find the perfect height to position the sights, thus taking out bad dudes in the foreground and those dashing around in the background in one sweep. This makes things both easier and rather more boring. You can just whizz from side to side, firing rapidly all the time, and everyone will soon die.

Also available as pick-ups that you've got to shoot are Repair bonuses. Collect these and you can get yourself fixed up at the end of the level. If you can get four or five you should be 100% ready for the next attack wave. Collecting them means you've got to move the sights up and down more, which means you can't leave them in the central perfect position for punk-killing.

Level two is traditional RoboCop fare. You enter a rocket-motor factory-type industrial place and walk from left to right (seen from side-view) and blast everybody you see on various platforms. As well as splatterpunks, you'll come across rehab's. What these are (and what they do) isn't made clear, but if you treat them as normal baddies and kill them all, you can't go wrong.

You can fire in eight directions, so as long as you're quick you should wipe out most of the baddies before they do you any serious damage.

Making things a bit (oh, all right, a lot) harder are the acid baths and moving conveyor belts you have to get past. This adds a lot of fun and gameplay to level two - you've got to contend with all manner of traps while still trying to blow the various nasties away. Luckily there are extra weapons (and more repair bonuses) available.

In level three, you've nicked a jet pack from the factory. Other baddies have jet packs of their own, so you get into some fast and furious air-to-air combat, swooping, diving and shooting like some WW2 ace [er, I don't really think so - Ed].

Kill everyone and you get to meet an armoured tank. This is where your missiles come in useful. Missiles? Yes, you should have picked them up about five screens back. Avoid the tank's fire and blow holes in it using your brand new, spanky and rather high-tech guided weaponry. Hooray!

RoboCop must then walk back the way he's just flown, heading for the OCP tower. More splatterpunks get in his way (and his sights). And a massive helicopter swoops down to take a few pot-shots at young Mr Murphy. If you can get your metal mate to the entrance of the tower, there's an ED 209 waiting there to turn him into iron-filings.

If by some miracle you survive all this mayhem, it's time for level five. Our tin chum must fight his way to the top of the tower, by battling Otomo Ninja Robots. Never heard of 'em? You should have. They're robotic ninja from, erm, the small seaside town of Otomo (just down the coast from Skegness).

It's impossible to outrun the Otomo Ninjas. They close in and whack you with their sticks, causing massive damage. All you can do is keep firing and hope they die soon.

Get past them and there's another ED 209. Kill him and hey presto! You've won and can go home for tea, muffins and a recharge.

RoboCop 3 is a biggie. It's got that mega-licence feel to it, and the multi-loading levels will give you many serious hours of gameplay before you can beat them. Levels two, four and five are, it must be said, rather similar to those of its predecessors - with plenty of baddies, lots of shooting and slow walks from left to right across the screen.

The whole thing is certainly high quality, though. There's an awful lot going on and it's all got good graphics and plenty of gameplay. Perhaps not earth-shattering, but certainly great to settle down with for a few hours.

One thing - Robocop 3 won't be easy to finish. I'll be surprised if the whole game can be complete in a few days. There are weeks worth of shooting here. This has got to be good news for hardened players in the long-term, but it's quite annoying when you first load up and play, especially in you wanted to be lowered into the game gently.

For those who can't wait for the film (which should be out in the next couple of months), here's a brief look at the plot.

Right. The action takes place in Detroit, which is a large, dirty city in the USA. The major organisation there is a company called OCP. And it is rotten to the core.

In Robocops 1 and 2, OCP built a shiny new part of Detroit called Delta City. This was supposed to be crime-free and idyllic (a bit like Milton Keynes). But it hasn't worked out that way (a bit like Milton Keynes as well). ED 209 droids are posted all over the place, splatterpunks roam free, pulling aerials off cars and throwing stones, and it's generally not nice. Even RoboCop is having a spot of trouble there.

So in step the wily and cunning Japanese (who have been invited by OCP) and, therefore, are incredibly corrupt as well. They bung a load of Otomo Ninja Droids in place and start taking over. RoboCop doesn't like this, so he joins the resistance movement against it and the violence starts.

Popcorn, Minstrels and King Cones are available in the foyer, by the way.

1. It's certainly got more than a passing resemblance to the other RoboCops.
2. It's also rather tough.
3. And sometimes a bit slow.

1. Superb intro sequence sets the tone for the whole game.
2. Sound effects add a lot to the atmosphere.
3. It's fast, furious and there's a great deal of shooting to be getting on with.
4. Five levels, each with their own style of gameplay, keep your interest.
5. The graphics are smooth and clear. It's at least as good-looking as the other RoboCops, if not better.