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Welcome to Smash TV, the ultimate game show staged sometime in the early 21st Century. In this sport of sadism, the stakes are high and the prizes are incredible. There's no dumb blonde twirling a wheel here to decide your fortune - Smash TV is all down to your skill and blasting reflexes. There's only one snag - muck it all up and you forfeit your very life (cue slow, mocking, diabolical laughter).

The game itself puts the player into a series of open room studio sets, where the object is simply to blast every single enemy sprite that arrives on-screen. During this carnage, the contestant boosts his destructive potential by collecting the power-ups and extra weapons that regularly appear within the studio. Once the arena is clear, the exits open up, allowing the contestant to enter a new chamber full of dangerous foes.

And what foes they are! Each major area in Smash TV is packed with hundreds of enemy sprites and each also boasts a huge, lethal boss - your first target being the gargantuan Mutoid Man. Suffice it to say, he's taking no prisoners!

Smash TV is a conversion of the massively successful Williams coin-op, in itself a remake of an earlier Williams classic, Robotron 2084. The coin-op is unusual in the fact that two joysticks are used to control one contestant. One stick controls the player's movements, while the other controls the direction of his fire.

For example, by using this arrangement, it's possible to run left whilst shooting right at the same time. Should you have two NES controllers at the ready, the Nintendo version even mimics this feature.

Every so often, your contestant enters a bonus arena in the Smash TV studios. Just scoop up those vast mounds of prizes as fast as you can before they vanish before your very eyes!

The actual prizes you "receive" are revealed on a monitor. Experienced Smash TV contestants usually reel in hundreds of pop-up toasters, VCRs, luxury holidays and homes during one game. What do prizes make? Points!

At the end of the level, these prizes are transferred into bonus points and added on to your doubtless colossal score.

There's some rather heavy destructive hardware available in Smash TV. Your bog standard rifle can be upgraded for gear like rocket launchers, grenades and three-way fire. Other icons have effects other than offensive. Speed-ups and defensive satellites are also available for your contestant to collect.

Tons of enemy sprites infest the screen at one time, and all of their short lives are dedicated to disposing of you in some vaguely entertaining manner. Swarms of baseball bat-wielding grunts are your first problem, but in the same set of rooms expect to meet the likes of Mr Shrapnel and Mutoid Man - aggghhhhh!

Smash TV is a real laugh in the arcades and this Nintendo conversion is simply fantastic. Of course, the graphics and sound aren't half as stunning as the original Williams coin-op, but what it has got is the sheer excitement factor that the arcade machine delivered.

The enclosed screen is very claustrophobic, making the urge to blast the sheer amount of enemy sprites on-screen even stronger. Making the action even more exciting are the superb weapons, blowing up legions of marauding sprites with a scatter grenade launcher has never been so much fun!

With all of the different options and the two-player mode, Smash TV is simply a superlative purchase for any NES owner that enjoys shooting everywhere.

This is what I call a real shoot-'em-up! Pure, unadulterated, relentless, frantic action which tests your reflexes and skills to their utmost. Total concentration is required - if you take your mind off the action for a second you're instantly overrun by the hundreds of enemy droids that are all out for your blood!

Because there are so many sprites on screen at once, they're all rather small, which makes the game look rather unimpressive. But it's not the visuals that are important here - it's the gameplay, and Smash TV delivers in a big way!

It's challenging, addictive and completely blows away all the other Nintendo shoot-'em-ups I've ever played!

Presentation 90%
Some great still screens and loads of options (including two-player options and two control methods).

Graphics 83%
Small, but varied with well-animated sprites along with functional backdrops.

Sound 92%
Some of the best speech ever heard on the Nintendo, along with good effects and music.

Playability 93%
There's never been so many enemy sprites to blow up in a Nintendo game! Instantly addictive and thoroughly enjoyable.

Lastability 89%
Plenty of levels to wade through and a two-player option to sustain interest.

Overall 90%
The best blaster on the Nintendo - it demands purchase!