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It's the year 2048 and a mad Emperor has taken control of Russia. Glasnost has been thrown out of the window and world peace is threatened as he assembles his giant army of robots with the intent to take over Earth.

Only one person can save the day, and that's super commando Strider, an athletic chappie who's perfectly capable of destroying the entire army single-handedly - as long as the player has the skill to guide him through this hazardous mission.

The action is set over five scrolling levels, each packed with human-looking androids, giant robots and huge gun emplacements. All are out to get the hero, and contact with either them or their bullets and weapons depletes Strider's energy bar.

Fortunately Strider is armed with a big sword which he can swing at an enemy to blow it up. There's also help in the form of drone ships which occasionally fly by - destroy them and a pod is exposed which, when collected, gives any one of a variety of weapons ranging from extra shot power and energy to bonus points and lives.

On the final level is the Emperor himself - destroy him and Glasnost will prevail. Fail and it's curtains for the free west as we know it.

Strider is one of the most athletic dudes ever seen in the arcades. Not only can he run and jump, he can also slide along the ground (killing any baddies that get in his way), swing on any parts of buildings, scaffolding and gantries he can get a grip on and flip himself up onto a higher platform. He can also climb walls and, if there's a particularly large gap in the landscape, do a super cartwheel jump!

If you're a big fan of the Strider arcade machine, you'll be pleased to hear that there are *absolutely no differences* between the arcade original and the Megadrive version! The sprites and backdrops are all the same size as the coin-op counterpart, and all the clever graphical effects - such as the "lights out" effect in the power station on level two - are present!

Strider doesn't just feature big end-of-level baddies. There are also big beginning-of-level baddies and big middle-of-level baddies too! Amongst the hazards to overcome are a giant robogorilla, a robocentipede, an enormous dinosaur and a troupe of killer ballet dancers. Weirdo city, man.

1. Invincibility
   Makes Strider invincible for about ten seconds.
2. Bonus Points
   Makes your score grow.
3. Robopanther
   A bit rubbish. Runs at baddies and blows them up.
4. Robodrone
   These fly around Strider and fire lasers whenever he swings his sword.

At present Strider is only available from Megadrive software importers and is not officially available from Sega in this country. This means that the game will work fine on Megadrives that have been imported from Japan, but will not work on official UK Megadrives unless you have a Japanese games adaptor (available from mail order companies) or your machine has been modified (which we do not recommend you do as this invalidates your warranty).

This Megadrive conversion is absolutely stunning in every respect. The main sprite is huge and well detailed, and the backgrounds are simply exquisite. My favourite level is the fourth, with Amazon piranhas, and massive dinosaurs to defeat.

The difficulty is pitched just right, although my attention keeps wandering to look at the graphics - they're that good! The sampled speech between levels is the only thing missing, but this doesn't affect the quality of the gameplay in any way.

If the arcade game blew you away, expect the same treatment from the Megadrive version.

When this was loaded into the Megadrive, you could hear the sound of jaws dropping for miles around - it's an absolutely amazing, truly arcade-perfect conversion.

The graphics are stunning, with large, beautifully animated sprites and fantastic backdrops, and the sheer colour and variety is superb.

The sound is also of a very high quality, with all the tunes and effects of the arcade machine!

The game oozes playability, grabbing you as soon as you start playing, and keeping you at your Megadrive for hours on end. It's definitely one of the slickest conversions yet seen on the Megadrive - if you're the owner of an imported machine, make sure you get this now!

Presentation 86%
Skill level aspect, sound test and arcade-style presentation.

Graphics 94%
Identical to the coin-op, with absolutely superb sprites and gorgeous parallax scrolling backdrops.

Sound 89%
Again, identical to the coin-op. Great tunes and effects.

Playability 94%
The manic slashing 'n jumping action is amazingly addictive from the word go.

Lastability 90%
As tough as the coin-op and there are three skill levels to test your mettle!

Overall 92%
An absolutely cracking conversion that's identical to the coin-op in every way. If you've got an imported Megadrive, this one's a must!