Floor 13 - Virgin RRP œ34.99
            (Graphic game for PC, ST and Amiga)

Every government wants to be more popular than the opposition. And
what better way to ensure that they are the blue-eyed boys than to
have a secret department at their disposal whose sole purpose is
to make this happen.  But what happens when the Director General
of this secret department lets his bosses down?  They send him for
flying lessons, straight out of his office window! When he's
working on the 13th floor of an office block, it's not a pretty
sight.

It's time for a new DG to step into his shoes and, you've guessed
it, it's you. I hope you do better in your job than your
predecessor did. If you don't, I hope you've got a parachute!

It's the first day in your new job. The office decor is just to
your taste and the Government is slightly ahead in the MORI polls.
Suddenly a message comes through. What can have happened? Does a
high-ranking policeman think he's got a direct line to God? Is a
member of the Royal Family under threat of kidnapping?  Is a play
about to open that doesn't treat the Government sympathetically?
What potential damage will be done to the Government as a result,
and what can you do about it?

At your disposal, you have a series of teams specialising in
surveillance, pursuit, the ominous-sounding 'removal' and more.
You can mount smear campaigns against selected targets or
infiltrate unions or secret organisations. Get a tip off relating
to a building and your men will move in and search it discreetly
or, if you prefer, turn the place upside-down. They can sneak into
someone's home or office and hunt for clues. This may bring other
names to your notice. Check them out too. If necessary, bring
people in for questioning but don't let your men be too
enthusiastic in their techniques. Whatever you do, sort out the
mess before the next poll deadline or the PM won't be too pleased
with you!

The screen display of Floor 13 is in shades of grey, ominously
atmospheric at first, but soon it gets boring. You see your desk
and any reports you read are overlaid on it, being selected from a
menu. There are often several 'cases' under investigation at any
one time and sometimes it is hard to know which one you're making
progress on.  Sure, the poll results may look promising but just
what have you done right?  After a short time, certain cases will
be closed and it isn't always clear whether it's just because of
the passage of time or because you've done the right or wrong
things. The acid test is the final MORI poll. If the Government
don't come top, it's end of game. If they win, you live to
investigate another day.

I had a feeling of deja vu when playing this game. It was a while
before it dawned on me but then the answer came - Fourth Protocol,
an old Spectrum game.  I played that game for hours though I never
completed it. Unfortunately a scenario that was gripping some
years ago (6 or so?) doesn't have quite the same appeal today.

When you compare the memory and display of a 386 PC with a 48K
Spectrum, you'd expect the PC game to win hands down. In fact,
given the choice, I'd prefer to dust off Fourth Protocol and have
another go at it.  Though my initial impression of Floor 13 was
that there was a lot going on, with messages and reports coming in
and decisions to be made while the deadline was creeping closer, I
found the game was too slow to be exciting.

                                                  Sue