Spy Hunter ( PlayStation 2 )

By PETER ELEY

(Herald rating: * * * )

The original Spy Hunter was a semi-popular coin-op in 1983 and later appeared on crude home computers like the Commodore64 and Spectrum. It involved firing a series of coloured dots from the front of your car and occasionally a larger black-coloured blob was deposited on the road from your vehicle's rear, creating havoc for any pursuers.

Happily Spy Hunter has moved on, and has received an overhaul. The game is divided into 14 missions in which you pit your super car and its weaponry against a malevolent multinational.

Players are issued with a G-6155 Interceptor which can take many forms. It can morph into a boat or a motorbike and even a handy mini-boat, depending on the terrain.

True to the original, there is a lot of weaponry to collect. Weapons trucks appear occasionally to supply ammo, so vital for making the most of the machineguns, missiles, lasers and cluster mines.

$129.95

* peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz