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You, robot, are the sole chance for human survival on planet Earth. Dare you take on the challenge?

New York is the venue: the year, 2067 AD, a time of desolation, destruction and warfare. What human life remains in the pollution rife city is forced to struggle for survival in the ruins, forced to face horrors both of their own and of others' making.

And just how did all this come to pass, you may ask yourselves? Well, just take a look at what we're doing to our planet at the moment and you'll begin to realise that the grim prospect of a dead, polluted world isn't as farfetched as it seems.

Be that as it may, the scenario goes something like this: Faced with the prospect of a dying world, the political and scientific heads of state decided that the best thing to do would be to gather together and abandon the polluted world, living instead on self-contained city ships far out in the oceans.

Ordinary humans were left to fend for themselves in the ruins, in the company of the Wolverines. Designed by the top boffins before they left, the robotic wolverines were programmed to partol the cities and keep them intact until the pollution disappeared and life in the cities was possible once again.

Programmed not to harm humans, the Wolverines soon found themselves breaking this law, as the criminal element which still inhabited the city seemed hell-bent on destroying everything. Naturally embittered about the desertion of the authorities, war soon broke out in the cities between human and robot, a fruitless war without winners until, that is, a savage new element was introduced in the form of the Scavengers.

Terrifying insect-like robots, the Scavengers took no pity on Wolverine or human but, instead, seemed determined to build up a terrible furnace in what had been Central Park. Here, all manner of metals and alloys were gathered to create more pollution and mutant Scavengers.

As time went by, more and more of the Wolverines succumbed to the dark Scavenger forces, until only one remained to take on a desperate attempt to stop the Scavengers from destroying the world.

Got the picture? Yes, this is where you step in as the last Wolverine, a badly damaged robotic giant with broken circuitry and little chance of destroying the giant furnace of the Scavengers. Yet this is your task.

Set over three leviathan levels, your first task is to penetrate the Scavengers' lines of defence through the subway system, in a bid to get closer to the furnace on the streets of New York.

Along the way, get your trigger finger well greased as the hordes of Scavengers descend upon you, from in front, behind, above and below. Some are armed, while others are only scouts. Kill them all, however, or more will arrive to finish you off.

Armed with a very handy, refillable machine gun, you must blow away everything in your path, whilst at the same time trying to plot your way through the subway. No easy task. Keep a look out for power-ups in your path, which you must crouch over to pick up, and keep a close eye on the increasing pollution level.

If it gets too high, your machinery will pack up, leading to a premature demise and the end of humanity. Take care with the humans you may meet as well, for they are very untrusting of anything remotely robotic. If you manage to plot the correct route through the subway, your next mission, in order to stand any hope of penetrating the defences of the Furnace, is to gather up the missing pieces of your Oracle on-board computer.

These you will find lying around the streets but, to piece them together, you will first have to locate the communications circuit, to put you in touch with the last remaining scientist in the city, The Tank. Approach the Tank without the communicator and he will attack you as a Scavenger but, if you have the device, he will assist you in rebuilding the Oracle.

Again, there are a host of Scavenger adversaries to take on here, and be careful as you approach the crossroads, you never know what is around the next corner.

Totally rebuilt and fighting fit, you must now undertake the fiercest mission of all, the overthrow of the Furnace before the pollution level hits the roof.

Equipped with your rocket boosters, you must penetrate the outer defences of the Furnace, taking on the hideous forms of half-constructed Scavengers and new, more powerful robots along the way.

Beware of the flying enemy as you stoop to pick up powerups, before entering the very heart of the Scavenger's Furnace.

If you manage to get this far, you deserve a medal, but don't start congratulating yourself just yet, as the biggest adversary still awaits your approach.

The very heart of the Furnace forms the belly of the enormous Furnace Guardian, an extremely dangerous and ludicrously well-armed beast of mammoth proportions. Take him on in a bitter struggle to the death, which will decide once and for all the fate of Mankind.

Destroy him and pollution will be stopped, as well as the production of new Scavengers. Lose, and you'll just have to start all over again, won't you?

Robozone is scorching action from the very start, featuring some tremendously atmospheric backdrops and some truly nailbiting tension. The graphics are superbly produced, as are the sound effects, and the easy-to-master controls allow you to jump straight in at the deep end, in this tremendously crafted blast.

Study the firing controls carefully, especially when you come up onto the city streets and try not to spend too much time admiring the scenery, your very existence is at stake here.

Using the very handy continuation option will help to keep your bullets flowing from where you left off but, with careful mapping of the earlier sectors, zipping your way back to where you left off is a joy.

Totally addictive, brilliantly conceived and featuring frenetic action from start to finish, this original blast has to be a must for serious and not so serious shoot-'em-up fans.