Back in December, I wrote a preview of an excellent new game being developed by Vulcan called Tiny Troops. The game looked like being a fun new twist to the traditional, 'let's play at re-enacting the Tet Offensive' genre, known as war games.

The storyline was stupid but fun: After 450 years of continuous fighting, two races of space aliens arrive at two simple but problematic conclusions. The first is that after all this time fighting they find they rather enjoy wanton destruction. The second is that if they continue to bombard their planet with heavy ordinance they'll bugger it up beyond repair.

The plan they eventually come up with is to jaunt off to Earth, and continue the fighting. Fortunately for the human race, these fierce galactic warriors are only knee high to a grass hopper.

It's your job to direct these pint sized platoons around kitchen work surfaces, window boxes and whatever else will double as a battlefield. Your first decision is to decide whether you'll control the bunny rabbit like Klutes or the Marvin the Martianesque Furfurs.

Once you've done this it's time to decide which tactics need to be employed to bring victory. How many troops will you utilise? There are a total of 12 troops to command but a smaller groups of perhaps 5 will be easier to handle and easier to manoeuvre. The full 12, however, will have buckets more firepower.

Will you split your force into two or three groups and surround them use one group to attack, and the other to defend your teleport base or just go for the ever useful kamikaze death charge using every killer critter at your disposal?

Although I'm no Tecumseh Sherman, this task is a little more difficult than you mgith expect going by the cute cartoon feel of the game. The task of defeating the enemy will take a fair amount of brain power and more than a little luck.

Tiny Troops is like a mental amalgam of The Smurfs, Micro Machines, Chorlton and the Wheelies and Platoon. As combinations go, it's a bit of a weird one, but it's a cocktail that makes for a strangely addictive and very enjoyable little game.

Tiny Troops is a fun and invoking take on a traditionally dull genre and I'd recommend it to anybody.

Tiny Troops is more Command and Conquer (but on the Amiga) than it is Cannon Fodder - but it's stolen elements from both of those games and created something that's similar to both without being close enough to be called a clone.

It's all about controlling small squads of, well, tiny troops actually and achieving set objectives (usually destroying the enemy's base) for each of the game's 65 levels.

One of the best things about the game is how well paced the levels are in the way they've introduced not only the various weapons (tanks, gliders, grenades and so on) but strategic and tactical elements to the gameplay - like what to do when the only bridge to the enemy base has been blown up. It works so well you just can't hep starting another level as soon as you've managed to complete the last.

Each level starts with a small briefing and then the player's usually left to choose the make up of his dozens or so squad members - choosing soldiers that can fire from long range will work wonders on one level where they're going to have cover, for example - before getting down to business.

Cleverly, Vulcan have introduced no time limits as such, but there are levels where you're going to have to move fast because the enemy are up to their own thing while you're sat around twiddling your thumbs.

Control could be a bit easier - it's the only slightly annoying feature of the game - especially when you're controlling a group of soldiers (you can 'rubber band' troops together by clicking and dragging a square around your selected soldiers) because your troops can find themselves wandering around in completely the wrong places at times.

This isn't disastrous if you're keeping your eye on things but it can be a problem if you're somewhere else on the battlefield. A little experimentation allows you to compensate for the clumsiness of this feature and though it's annoying, it's certainly livable with.

This is a highly addictive, playable and fun game - especially in two layer mode - that you'll love if you've got a hard disk. Floppy players may find the amount of disk swapping a little annoying but even then they won't be left wanting once the action starts. Well worth your money.