Various
Nexus
Arcade Adventure
£9.95

Smashing drug rings, rescuing friends kidnapped by ruthless cut-throats and still making the copy deadline is all in a day's work for the average journalist. In Nexus, you have the chance to see whether you have what it takes to join the El Vino's set.

Journalists are not a violent race by nature and it is possible to play most of Nexus without drawing blood. If roused - for instance, if someone claims it is his round - our paragon of polished prose is equipped with guns, knives, flying feet and fists.

You have penetrated an underground complex. To complete your task, you must get help from Nexus. That is the resistance organisation in the complex which will give you weapons, advice and help out of a tight spot. Cultivating the members' friendship is vital, so if you go around beating them up, you will be on your own.

The game is controlled from the joystick and is reminiscent of the Ocean V game, although the addition of people you are not intended to beat up gives it a new dimension. Like most fight games, there are 16 movements you can make with a combination of joystick and fire buttons. There is also a useful preview function on the screen, which indicates what will happen if you press the fire button.

You move round the complex with the aid of lifts, a map and a cluster of indicator light which show you the direction of a place or a person you have selected. To win the game, you must find all 128 fragments of message. You must then piece them together, decode them, and transmit them to your editor. If all that strikes you as being a little too cerebral, you can have a good time blasting away and beating hell out of the opposition. Most of the time you will only stun your opponents but there is a way to kill them which, for reasons of good taste, will not be revealed.

Another novel aspect of the game is the digitised pictures of people around you. That allows you to recognise members of the Nexus organisation when they appear. The authors, Tayo Olowu and Paul Voysey, who were behind the superb Psytron and the cult hit Psi Warrior have produced an interesting blend of combat game and arcade adventure.

It is the kind of game which, even after you have solved it, which will not be quick, will have you returning for a quick spot of guard trashing now and then. It is certainly superior to V in most departments. Let us just hope the lack of that game's TV theme does not prevent it being a huge hit.