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I find it remarkable that at this stage in this history of the Beeb, anyone would ever release another so-called 'mega-game' for the machine. What else can you do that could possibly top the classic Elite?

However, The 4th Dimension must seem to think that its new release UIM (Ultra Intelligent Machine) has all the right ingredients. Taking two years to write, UIM represents a lot of work and a great deal of confidence that the finished product will capture the imagination of those who use the Beeb for entertainment. UIM can be best described as an underwater Elite. There is no getting away from it, the influences and similarities are all there.

The scenario of the game is set in the future, when the greenhouse effect has caused life on land to become intolerable. The people have taken to the oceans, and in their quest to colonise their new underwater world, have created a replicator robot to work at depths that they cannot. As its name suggests, the robot self-replicates and it is this ability that ultimately leads to disaster, when they start to reproduce in a form that is mutated and able to attack and overrun their human masters. Your mission is to find the Ultra Intelligent Machine (UIM), a device that will wipe out the replicators and save the world.

You must pilot your submarine around the great oceans, starting from the port Anase and venturing to any one of 256 networks and 65,000 ports. At each port you can buy and sell goods to arm your submarine with a host of add-ons to help you in your quest.

Of course, on your way, you will meet a great deal of resistance to your passage. These enemy craft come in a huge range of shapes and levels of power and weaponry.

As in Elite, you must choose carefully what you attack and when. Your submarine will need the right armaments and the right navigational aids if you are to be successful. All this depends on skilful travelling and trading. Trading goes well beyond mere commodities, and includes stock market speculation, for example.

What more can I say about this game? It is underwater Elite. But the scale of the game is much vaster than Elite, and should take those who buy it a lot longer to complete. The graphics are very similar, being 3D vector, but if anything they are coarser, although still excellent.

It is difficult to sum up this game. Why should you buy it if you have Elite and have already exhausted your interest in that? Why indeed? My own personal feelings are that it is too much of a copy of Elite to become a success. It has all been done before. Elite was revolutionary when released, and took everyone by storm. Now we take games and graphics of that kind much more for granted.

If you still have an interest in Elite then UIM may be for you. Take a look at it before you buy. You will, however, need a Master to run it, or a Model B with at least 16K of Sideways RAM.

Archimedes owners may be interested to know that a much enhanced version of the game (priced at £29.95) will be available shortly for them, and naturally it is claimed that it will make good use of that machine's graphics and sound capabilities.