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Those terrorists are up to no good again, with fanatical thoughts of world domination on their minds. As usual their evil schemes involve innocent victims being held hostage for things that are nothing to do with them.

This time they've gone a step too far though. One American citizen too many has had their lives wrecked by the threat posed by terrorists. The time for talking is over. There will be no diplomatic meetings, no bowing to demands, and no secret arms deals.

A helicopter has been downed over enemy territory, and the crew are being used as bargaining chips by a bunch of crazy terrorists who've been out in the sun too long. They've also managed to amass a stockpile of Stinger missiles, which you'd best destroy if they're not to be used against the very country that supplied them.

It's time for the Navy Seals to go in, kick butt, and got out again, leaving as many terrorist corpses as possible in the time allowed. (Oh yes, mustn't forget to free the hostages...)

Time is most definitely of the essence. Each section has to be completed within a strict time limit. For the most part, this involves setting explosives atop a crates full of robbed US hardware, and getting the hell out to reach the next stage, killing the bad guys on the way.

There are five members in your team, representing your lives. Each time a Seal is culled, another takes his place. You come to harm by falling too far, being shot and running out of time. When you lose one of your team the timer is not reset, and you must carry on from where the last chappie popped his size twelves. The missile cases that need to be destroyed act as restart points when you die you reappear at the last one you attached a bomb to.

Somewhat surprisingly for the hardest fighting force in the World, all these guys are armed with is a weedy pistol apiece. Luckily some of the crates scattered around the place have hidden secrets - Uzis, flamethrowers and grenade launchers. Handy, that.

Navy Seals is a good looker - the sprites are large and well drawn. The terrorists look particularly cool, wearing shades and toting guns. The backgrounds too are well drawn, with the redefined palette being used to good effect.

The animation is excellent on the whole, platforms can be transcended by pulling up on them and somersaulting over the top - a brilliantly fluid action.

The music is spot on too, though this plays only on the title screen. In the game itself, there's the usual batch of rudimentary spot effects.

Navy Seals is not an easy game. Careful paddle control is required to out-gun the baddies. Usually you'll need to duck down behind a crate, wait till the enemy has fired a shot, and then jump up quick and shoot him before he has a chance to respond. Fluff it and you're probably dead.

The time limit is extremely strict. Dilly-dally for a couple of moments too long and you'll fall foul of this short span. In this instance you need to start the whole level again from scratch. There's nowt wrong with time limits in principle, it's just this one is particularly unforgiving.

The control system is slightly fiddly. There are a lot of actions to be accommodated on the joypad (incidentally, Plus owners may not redefine the controls for keyboard use). Some actions require a combination of moves, and it's easy to slip up, usually with the result of one life lost. Tough doesn't mean Impossible, however, and after many, many attempts you'll make it off the first level. Of course you then have to face exactly the same problems that you've just over-come. There's not an awful lot of variety between the levels (Ocean gave us a cheat to enable us to see them all, but we're not telling you what it is - ha!). Basically it's the same old story missiles, kill the terrorists, and get off the level as quickly as possible.

Despite this, though, there's a lot of challenge in the game. Sure, it's very frustrating, but there's still something compelling about it that keeps you coming back for more. The difficulty of completing the levels mean you'll still be playing the game in a month's tune, not chucking it into the cupboard after a week. Though you may die (many times) trying, the urge to complete the mission is irresistible. It's hard, but the Navy Seals are harder.

Wonderful graphics and sound make Navy Seals look like a winner. Indeed, it is excellent, but it's also far too difficult... that time limit is a real killer.

Place bombs on all but one crate!

Graphics 92%
Nice sprites with some truly superb quality animation.

Sonics 81%
No music in the game, but some excellent title music.

Grab Factor 87%
Very frustrating at first, but something keeps you at it.

Staying Power 86%
Six extremely tough levels, but all pretty much the same.

Overall 88%
You certainly won't be finishing Navy Seals too quickly, but it may be a little too tough.

No, the Navy Seals aren't blue-hued sea mammals, they're an elite fighting force of trained killers. SEALs stands for Sea, Air and Land - there isn't anywhere that these guys are afraid to go. And if you think the name's a bit soft, it could be worse - they could have ended up being called the Navy "Sals" instead.

These crack commandos are used by the military to handle those difficult diplomatic situations. They operate in small groups, each man an expert in his own field.

Formed in the early '60s, the Seals were first used in Vietnam. They were instrumental in the rescue of American citizens in Grenada. In Panama, they ousted Manuel Noriega by playing REO Speedwagon at deafening volume, proving beyond doubt that they're truly ruthless.

Navy Seals is licensed from the Orion Pictures movie. Tho film stars Charlie Sheen and Michael Biehn as members of the funky fighting force. Unfortunately the film flopped in the States, and so was never put on general release in this country. It's duo out on video, though, so if you're desperate to see it (you'd have to be - by all accounts it's pretty dire) you should be able to hire it from your local video rental library in the next month or so...