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Imagine skiing at breakneck speed through a futuristic complex wasting everything in sight with a high-powered laser. That's the nearest I can get to describing Warrior II - only you are not on skis, they just sound like them. They look more like snow shoes though the blurb prefers the more spacey description of 'hoverplane'.

Whatever it's called, it is the most immediately impressive thing about Warrior II. You can almost feel the movement of it making you dizzy as the Warrior spins to change direction. It sort of bubbles up and twists - like a skateboarder bouncing off a wall or incline.

It slides beautifully too. Just a little tape on the joystick and it will edge forward, hard down and the speed increases. You have tremendous control over the Hovver and you certainly need it for hopping over obstacles and avoiding electrified fences.

So what's all this dodging and blasting in aid of? The pursuit of knowledge no less. Y'see the 'Ancients' hid all their secrets in a computer at the bottom of the complex. You need to get down to find them out. Why the world needs to know all those gigantic pearls of wisdom is anyone's guess - perhaps vast resources of snuff have been discovered in the North Sea and no one knows what to do with it.

Seriously though - getting there is no easy task. Hordes of graphically disappointing nasties are after your blood. There are electronic hazards all over the place which, if you make contact with them, will cost you a life.

Blasting these nasties freezes them and enables you to absorb their life force.

If you succeed in reaching the bottom, you will find a task waiting for you before you are allowed to hack into all those secrets. You are advised to keep your eyes peeled on the way down - studying the objects strewn around for possible clues.

All of this might give the slight impresson of an arcade adventure. This would be totally untrue. Warrior II is about blasting, manoeuvering your Hovver through difficult gaps and letting the nasties have it with your laser.

The best part of the game is the jumps. Leg it across the screen as fast as you can, press Fire, and sail over those electric fences. You have to watch how you land, though, or you might bounce right back into the fence if you're not careful. The more 'ancient' among you will recognise this as the sequel to Psi Warrior game launched by Beyond a couple of years back.

It does actually point out this fact on the cassette inlay. I have to say though - I can't really see how it differs from the original. It seems incredibly similar and I therefore wouldn't recommend it to anyone who already owns version 1.

That said, it is definitely worth considering if you haven't got the original. Warrior II is not for the gamer of average ability however. You have to be determined - the blast fast brigade will love it.