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Avoid the acid baths as you trip your way around Asteroid XR27B armed with a plasma blaster.

In space no-one can hear you scream. That may be so, but in this serious 'gun down every alien in sight or the world's for it' budget blockbuster from Players, each time you inadvertantly take a dip in the abundant acid baths on Asteroid XR27B, your pained expostulations are clearly printed in bold type across the top of the screen just to remind you. And, boy, does it hurt.

Asteroid XR27B may sound like the latest in a long line of souped-up, glorified Ford Escorts but, in reality, it's a strategically important mining installation which has been overrun by Earth's sworn enemies, the Alien Syndicate.

At this very moment, under the leadership of their evil queen, plans are being made to fit Earth with a large pair of concrete overshoes and push her off the end of the galactic pier.

Armed only with a plasma blaster, a couple of grenades and a secret weapon which you have to collect and put together on the way, your mission is to thwart this grisly plot and kill the evil queen so that we earthlings can once again sleep easily in Suburbia. Sound good? It isn't half bad.

Before getting down to the serious alien bashing, you would do well to try out a few reconnaissance missions to get used to the maze of caverns under the Asteroid's surface.

Once you have got your bearings, entry to higher levels is achieved using the tried and tested key to the door routine.

But finding these entry portals can be tough at first and don't go rushing through any of them headlong: you just don't know what is going to be on the other side to greet you.

Movement around the combat zone is relatively smooth and enjoyable using the joystick, although timing is all important for those diagonal leaps from crevice to crevice in the caves. Just when you are getting a little too casual about it; whoops... oh look, it's an acid bath!

Flicking through the play instructions, you will also find a note about scaling the many ladders within the complex. Take heed, it saves a lot of frustration later on, as I found to my expense.

War Machine's game plan may not be entirely original, but there are some nice touches in this extraterrestrial combat which provide an atmosphere to help you take on the role of the good guy marine. Not to mention a whole host of biotechnological baddies.

Colourful, well-defined graphics and a nicely produced sound backing all add to the subterranean air of the game and should you, by some stroke of ill fortune lose a life, you certainly know about it.

War Machine is certainly not designed with five minute playarounds in mind. This is one you will stick to, and, each time you get a little further, there may well be two thoughts floating around your space helmeted skull: (1) I joined the marines for the lifestyle, nobody every warned me about this and, (2) Isn't there anything I can do to inflict large amounts of pain on those acid baths?