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I've never heard of Stratego but apparently it's an enormously popular (ahem) strategy board game. Now, I don't want to shoot myself in the tootsies here but, if you don't like strategy games, stop reading this now. I'm no great fan of the genre but even I was hooked - for a while. The game requires vast amounts of logic which, when applied to games (as opposed to Maths GCSEs) means that you've got to be cunning and conniving - a right sly spy. This comes in handy when you're on a battlefield with 33 men, six bombs and a flag. The two sides are evenly matched and the first one to lose all his men or have his flag nicked is a sissy.

Stratego is a one-player game only. But why? The only thing that makes board games even slightly enjoyable is shouting at and being shouted at by your opponent. The lack of response when you yell at a computer is frustrating. Anyway, on with the game. First, decide whether you want to go for a campaign (five battles) or just a single game and then choose which of the five levels to play at. Next, place your pieces on the board. You can do this all by yourself or tell the computer to do it - just choose from thirteen setups. You can place your most powerful chaps at the front, backed by their minions and bombs or send in the cannon fodder.

You want to capture your opponent's flag but you can only take a piece if your attacking piece is ranked higher than the defender. However, you can't see what rank your opponent's pieces are, so your first moves are all based on guesswork. It's best to move your lowest ranks forward first, to check out the (potentially dangerous) scene.

The computer takes ages to record each move (yawn). At the same time, it's also quite addictive. Oh, I hate this sort of game. I kept thinking how bored I was yet I had to know, how it would all end. But play a whole campaign? No way. I couldn't keep my eyes open or brain functioning for that long.

1. It takes blimmin' ages to get through a single game (And I still lost!)
2. It's very difficult to play.
3. There's no two-player option which is crazy for a board game.
4. It would have looked loads nicer if the pieces had been shaped a little more like soldiers, and a little less like cheese-counter tickets!

1. If you like strategy games you'll love it 'cos there's hours of gameplay in there.
2. At least the graphics are nice and clear.
3. The manual explains everything you need to know.
4. Five levels of computer opponent skill.