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Forget all that namby-pamby "dead or alive, you're coming with me" rubbish - this is what future law enforcement is all about. Crime may be bad now, but in the near future it's going to get a lot worse.

Step into a future where granny thefts and armed robbery abound, and where fewer and fewer people are joining the force. You are a lone bobby, with just you and your shiny new Ferrari VMAX set against the evils of the world.

Each mission unfolds in two stages. The first of which has you behind the wheel patrolling the highways, Mad Max style. The on-screen messages display gives details of your adversary, such as the felony committed, and arrest orders such as "kill on sight" or simply "stop him". There's nothing to stop you from getting from A to B - except, of course, the opposing cars. It is possible to outrun them, but getting up enough speed without hitting anything can be a problem.

Uh oh. Ramming other cars and hitting scenery causes damage to your car. The little bar in the corner marked "% Operative" should be closely monitored as it's the only indication you've got as to how well you're doing in this section.

The destination's been reached and it's time for the second stage. Similar to Rolling Thunder, but much more violent, the object is to set off on foot after the bad guy. The small square on the armband at the bottom of the screen contains two items of importance: the clock is a measure of how much time you have left, while the edge of the square is a radar.

Ugh! Scratch one nasty. The mmess of blood and sinew lying twitching at the bottom of the screen was a bad guy, until you blew him away. If this carnage is not to your taste, you could always use your next gun, which fires a lump of sticky mucus leaving the assailant wriggling in a cocoon on the floor.

The aim of the game is to achieve top rank. As you move up the hierarchical ladder, you also pick up a range of gadgets for your car, including turbo boosters and fluffy dice. Promotion is earned by completing missions, but you can screw up by either not doing the job within the time limit, letting the bad guy escape or by disposing of him improperly (i.e. killing him when you ain't supposed to).

TechnoCop is fun, and even contains a hint of originality - combining two tried-and-tested game styles and reproducing both more than adequately. However (yes, there had to be one), although the driving section is smooth, it has no 'feel' whatsoever. It's far too easy to overcompensate against ramming - and, indeed, too easy to get rammed off the road.

The second section is fine in almost every detail. It looks good, especially the backgrounds, but the animation and scrolling is a little jerky. The sound however is pretty basic, with just a few grunts and groans here and there, and a fairly dull engine noise on the driving section.

It's fun - but I'd hesitate to guess as to how long this game will last.

There's no notable difference between the ST and Amiga versions, with the two being almost exactly the same in all respects, including graphics, sound, feel, price and release date.

Although there are plans for an IBM-compatible bizzie, work has only just begun and there is no news as yet as to which graphics cards it will support.