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A character who recently joined the ranks of a mysterious mercenary organization must face some tests to prove he is worthy of being part of it. He must infiltrate an enemy base, getting rid of the guards that populate it, and at the same time searching for Daisy, his pet rabbit, who lost herself, coincidentally, right there. This is the premise of Red Raid: The Beginning, a platform game that features an interesting blend of action and thinking.

Each individual screen represents a level. Stairs, platforms and other elements make up the place, teething with enemies ready to bump you off unceremoniously. To hit them you can use your feet, with a well-aimed kick, or shoot with your pistol, although ammunition is limited. Fortunately, there is no shortage of bullets and energy supplies, which you can also find by searching the bodies of downed enemies. These, in turn, won't just stay there while you attack them: they will return fire and kick you as well.

To negotiate the levels, however, you also need to rely on your wits. Kicking boulders into pools of water will help you not to fall into them; if necessary, a boulder can also be used to crush an enemy standing below you. The game also includes "achievements" activated in certain situations, for example when you shoot an enemy three times in a row in the head, or after pushing an enemy into water or lava with a kick. Red Raid: The Beginning therefore shows a hybrid formula: a distinct arcade component and the configuration of the various screens, which pushes you to avoid traps and not to expose yourself unnecessarily to counterattack. In the second part, there is also a subgame: besides eliminating enemies, you must hack some terminals, and to do this you have to copy a scheme consisting of nine characters (a simple task, actually). Hacking a terminal will bring up a ladder or open a passage needed to advance.

Graphically, the game looks pretty good. Sprites and backdrops are rather stylized, but animations are convincing; the absence of "colour clash" despite the variety of colours used is noticeable. Sound is minimal, with a beeper melody in the start menu and some effects during the action.

Red Raid: The Beginning reinvents in an original way an extremely popular genre on the Spectrum, i.e. platform games. The mix of arcade and puzzle works greatly, it is taxing and the three levels of difficulty enhance its longevity: even the easiest one is anything but a cakewalk, so don't expect to finish it in an afternoon! It should be highlighted that several of the screens can be solved in more than a way, and running around guns blazing often causes your adventure to end prematurely.

Finally, you won't need a 128K to enjoy all of this, since the game has been designed to run on the 48K.