ESPIONAGE
Modular Resources Ltd
Memory: 16K
Price: £8.95

Get your O Level chemistry textbooks out if you have the slightest intention of buying and playing Espionage.

The posh packaging may well lead you to think that you are getting some kind of fancy spy adventure set in the cut-throat world of JR. No way.

The program is a set of tests about oil and its chemistry and, unless you are interested in hydrocarbons in a really heavy way, you'll soon find yourself swimming around in a big greasy mental pool of ethane, ethene, butene, butane, gasp, help.

You may deduce from errors in the information the identity of the mole in the company for which you are working. If petrochemicals are a closed book to you, this might be rather difficult.

Espionage is either mutton dressed up as lamb or homework masquerading as good clean fun.

The presentation is dull, the content dry and specialised and both the introductory and main programs failed to autorun. It may be useful if you want to be chairman of BP but if you just want a good time steer clear. Must rush off, my catalytic cracker's boiling.

Spectrum and Commodore
Modular Resources
Adventure
£8.95

You have to catch the mole in your oil company before he gives away the company secrets. You do a Bobby Ewing impersonation - this is done by answering questions of a petrochemical nature and sussing out which of the people asking the questions is the phoney.