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In the early days of the Atari, certain games appeared that were to become legends - for example, Star Raiders and Eastern Front.

Another superstar was Shamus, a fast and furious shoot-'em-up. When it first appeared, it cost about £30, but now it can be yours for just one tenth of the price.

In its day, Shamus was superb, with fast-moving graphics and vibrating multicolour walls. I must admit it looks rather crude compared to today's standards, but even now it has an appeal that most current games lack.

Shamus is an American term for a private eye, but in the game you are more of a Rambo character who shoots anything that moves.

You are the Shamus sent to hunt down and destroy the Shadow in his lair. The lair consists of a large building split into four levels of 32 rooms each.

Each level is inhabited by Robo Droids, whirling Drones and Snap Jumpers. These nasty friends of the Shadow have only one instruction in their memory banks - to wipe you out.

Armed only with Ion Shivs - Ionic Short High Intensity Vaporisors - you journey through the colour-coded levels starting with black, the easiest, through blue and green to red, the most difficult.

Each level has four keys and four keyholes scattered at random about the complex. The keys are coded for each keyhole, so you must visit almost all the rooms.

Moving over a keyhole causes one wall to disappear allowing you to progress deeper into the complex.

To the first time buyer, I would recommend this classic, but don't expect to be stunned by the graphics. What you will get is one of the most addictive games in a long time.