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Mandroid and Warmonger... names that turn the bowels of hardened men to water, perhaps the two most dangerous criminals to ever appear on the Spectrum screen.

Imprisoned in a satellite that orbits Earth, they've got out onto the roof - and they're not just holding up placards. These two have every intention of escaping. But guards soon appear on the scene, and our two protagonists will have to be more vicious and ruthless than ever before.

In one-player mode you control Warmonger; in two-player mode each player handles one of the maniacs.

They're equipped with forward-firing blasters and earn points (and thus extra lives) for every prison guard picked off.

But the escapees are blaster targets too. And when a few guards get together in a group, they can turn their fire upon Mandroid and Warmonger whichever direction the criminals take.

And even when you're a master criminal, playing on building sites is dangerous - some sections of the space prison are incomplete.

Joysticks: Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: nicely-animated; monochromatic
Sound: great Dave Whittaker tunes on 48 and 128K
Options: one or two players; definable keys

'A wickedly addictive game with fantastic sound on the 128K version, U.C.M. has graphics very like Mikro-Gen's Stainless Steel, with bas-relief sprites and detailed backgrounds. The only problem is that Warmonger moves rather slowly. But the way the bazooka explodes is brilliant!'

'It's a pity Warmonger moves so slowly - this makes the difference between being the best and lust being very good! The graphics are adequate, though minuscule, and the lack of colour doesn't affect the outstanding playability of U.C.M.. And the level of difficulty is just right - between frustration and addiction.'

'Butch Hard Guy is back! The eponymous star of Dave Thompson's first game seems tougher than ever this time, and he's changed his name to Warmonger... U.C.M. is very simple but superbly presented, though like most vertically-scrolling monochrome games it has a display problem. (In this case, it's difficult distinguishing the enemy's bullets from your own.) U.C.M. scores highest in playability - you just have to have one more game. And though it's a bit tough to start with, perseverance is rewarded with bonuses: the graphics get better the further you go. So forget Ikari Warriors - judging from the demo on CRASH Issue 45, U.C.M. has the Elite game beat before it gets off the ground.'