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The Wild Bunch is Psytronik's latest release for the Commodore 64 and is a very close port of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum original, which was released by Firebird Software way back in 1984. This new version has some nice additions, however - like the animated introduction on the disk version, and two different loading screens on each side of the cassette tape. While one of these sticks closely to the Firebird screen from the Speccy, the other is a new image with the Psytronik logo.

The game starts with you innocently walking home and hearing a gunshot. Upon further investigation you stumble upon a dying man who, with his last dying breath, mutters a clue to identify his murderer. Breaking the first rule of any crime scene, you pick up the gun... when along comes the Sheriff!

Luck is not on your side. You are looming over a dead body, holding what is obviously the murder weapon and instantly become the Wild West's most wanted.

In order to clear your good name you must capture the true culprit along with his gang members, otherwise known as 'The Wild Bunch'. Your objective is to investigate each of the five two-bit (or should that be 8-bit?) towns in search of each gang member - all while avoiding the Pinkerton Agent sent by the Sheriff to capture you, the wrongly accused, and bring you to justice.

In order to survive you need to be in good health and have enough cash to purchase essential items. You obtain cash from the rewards stated for captuing the outlaws identified on "Wanted" posters at the Sheriff's office and winning at Poker against the town's local gambler. Although some level of common sense will apply when at the table, it is largely based on the luck of a randomly generated hand. Unlike a true Poker game, you cannot bluff your hand as the gambler will continue to raise and see your bet if he is holding anything near half-decent. And the only time the gambler appears to fold his hand is when you are holding a certain winner. I have used the same tactic holding a pair of aces as I have when having a Royal Flush, yet the gambler only seems to throw in his hand when I have the latter. This can make winning the necessary cash a long, tedious effort and extremely frustrating.

Before venturing to a new town, it is advisable to view for the telegraph so that you can avoid the Pinkerton Agent - as being captured instantly ends the game. Reading it will cost as little as $20 but beware, the price will increase if you have a fist full of $100 or more.

Avoiding the town that is inhabited by the Pinkerton Agent, you must decide which of the five to explore. Before doing so you must purchase supplies for your journey. What you buy depends on the amount of cash you have. Your journey is significantly quicker with a horse and saddle, but without enough food and water for both you and your steed, neither of you are unlikely to survive a long journey. As you travel, you will come across wildlife, bandits and other unsavoury types wanting to hurt or steal from you.

In order to survive, you must choose to run, fight or bribe your attacker. Again, the randomness of this can be frustrating - as an unsuccessful choice depletes your strength which could ultimately cost you the game. There are some rules of thumb: don't run without a 'hoss' as you won't outrun anything on foot; use plenty of strength if you do not have a rifle, food and water; and don't bribe if you have nothing to give as you could end up insulting the baddie who could take your gun, which you will need to capture gang members for the rewards. This is only a problem if you don't have enough cash to buy a replacement when you get to your destination though.

Despite the annoying aspect of this production, it is incredibly addictive and with a choice of three difficulty levels, the greater of which will require better strategy to your play. Thus, each level acts as a learning curve in understanding the game logic better. It does have some quirks that can work both to your advantage and disadvantage, but these add to the character of the production and - once these wrinkles are identified - can significantly increase your chances of successfully (cheating and) beating it!

My motto is "those who can, do; those who can't, cheat" an' we won't have any rootin' tootin' cheetas in dis 8-bit town, y'all! Yeeee haaaa!

Product: The Wild Bunch
Price: From £1.99, depending on media
Developer: Jon Wells
Publisher: Psytronik - www.psytronik.com
Platform: Commodore 64

Round up the most feared gang in the Wild West in this slightly limited but great value and addictive role-playing game.