WE PREVIEWED Melbourne House's superb music program last month, and the final version lives up to expectations. Wham! The Music Box is clearly destined to take a place alongside classic utilities such as Tasword II or Art Studio.

The screen displays two staves, which scroll sideways, on which you write the music. The bottom two rows of the keyboard act as a piano keyboard, and all the notes are of a single length. That's not a problem as long as you work out the smallest unit you are going to need and take that as the note size. Longer length notes are simply repetitions of the same note.

The program allows you to write two-part music, with a bass line and treble. Four octaves are available, and extra functions include repeating a set pattern, adding in drum sounds - more like scratching sandpaper, but that's the Spectrum for you - and defining your own white noise effects by moving a cursor over various waveforms and selecting the one you want.

Since the Spectrum can only handle one note at a time, normally, the two-voice music comes as a shock when you first hear it. If you've got Fairlight or Way of the Exploding Fist, those tunes were written with the same routine.

Music can be compiled down to code, stored at any reasonable address, for use in your own programs, and a set of POKEs is given to alter speed, and allow you to play tunes one note at a time so that the music can be interlinked with screen action.

The alleged pop group Wham! has allowed Melbourne House to convert five of their hit singles to the system, and those tunes are recorded after the main program. Whether or not you enjoy Wham! the results certainly show off the power of the program to good advantage.

It is incredibly easy to produce acceptable music from the program. Anybody - absolutely anybody - who writes games or likes mucking about with sound should boogie on down to the stores and buy it.

ARE YOU as strong as a horse, built like a mountain with muscles like a pile driver? Probably not, but if you attempt Geoff Capes Strong Man you will certainly sprout some muscles in your joystick arm.

The idea is to pretend Geoff hasn't got a brain. You take its place and while he proves his superior strength by towing lorries, chucking barrels and rolling over cars, you must send the stimulae to his muscles enabling him to perform those mighty feats.

Firstly, build up his muscles in a short training session which lasts all of ten seconds. Waggle the joystick back and forth, Decathlon style, to get his muscle rating as high as possible. You then have a few more seconds to designate some muscle to eight drawings round the side of the screen. Those are depicted as a foot, arm, chest, leg, and so on.

You will soon learn which events need more muscle and designate more to the arm or chest accordingly. If you are a wimp and can't even manage the training sessions, just press the fire button and you will be given some muscle, though not very much.

The first event is towing a lorry. As Geoff moves, the muscles he uses are outlined in yellow. Rush the pointer to that particular box and press the fire button. If you make it in time, it will flash green, then hurry onto the next muscle. There is a pattern to follow as arm, chest and leg muscles are brought into play. It is fast and you have to be on your toes. If you run out of energy on a specific muscle, Geoff collapses and you have to start all over again.

Next, the log chop - which is simple. Just wait until the blade whizzes over the section of wood you have chosen and press the fire button. The blade comes down and knocks off a chunk. Some areas are softwood, others are hardwood which may need two or three chops of the blade. The only thing that can go wrong is running out of time.

Rolling the car follows the same mode of play as towing the lorry, but putting barrels on a truck is more difficult. The remaining two screens portray Geoff hitting a fairground bell and doing some Sumo wrestling.

Geoff Capes Strong Man is unusual, but it soon begins to pall as the events are merely repeated each time at higher difficulty levels. Granted, another famous name has been dredged up to lend credence to the game, but at least Strong Man is different from the run of the mill sporting simulations. You couldn't call it exciting, but it will test your staying power.

'A SINGLE skilled pilot might succeed where 50 would surely fail' is never a very convincing reason for taking on the robot might of an entire planet, but when it's a question of re-colonising Tau Ceti for the good of mankind ... sucker, you're it.

For once, it's well worthwhile. CRL has produced a massive space opera in Tau Ceti, combining adventure, zapping, strategy, and excellent graphics in a game of enormous complexity.

You must shut down the fusion reactor in the city of Centralis which runs the robot defences of the entire planet. Collect up the fusion rods, scattered around the planet, and insert them in the main reactor.

Unfortunately, you also have to deal with the automated defences - free moving hunter-killer robots, land mines, and fortress towers bristling with lasers. Those are depicted in wireframe graphics on a window to the left of the screen, and vary depending on the time of day and how well your scanner is working.

Most of the action takes place in flight mode, as you explore the various cities looking for repair depots and reactor sub-stations - where fragments of rod can be found. When you dock with one of those havens, you enter ground mode. Text input generates a number of options, including a map of the planet which can be magnified, and a library of information on each city. The rods themselves are manipulated at this stage. Initially you only receive fragments, and they must be assembled like a jigsaw puzzle.

Movement between cities - there are at least two dozen - is by using pre-programmed jump pads, which link you to specific cities. Since cities have differing levels of defences, working out sensible routes to collect all the rods is of prime importance.

The right-hand side displays a radar system giving advance warning of objects, and two targeting displays, one indicating the direction of the city centre, vital for aligning yourself with jump pads, and the other showing your base. Add to that a notepad facility for keeping track of what you've done, save and load features, and plenty of status displays for your craft, and there's not a lot left you could want.

The various buildings and nasties have carefully defined shapes, outlined in the instructions, but from a distance they look very alike. Particularly confusing are the craters, which look just like jump pads, but without a thin pole next to them.

Such a vast structure could easily become boring and muddled, but in spite of all the options the game is easy to play and hard to beat. Best of all, the scenario becomes quite convincing after a while, with real desperation setting in as the shields run out, and deepening sense of panic helped by the quality of the wireframe graphics.

It's hard to imagine a better space game, unless one's talking about Elite, with its intergalactic scope and strategic depth. Viewed as a shoot 'em up with a purpose to the carnage, Tau Ceti has to be one of the all-time greats.

A HAUNTED castle, armies of aliens, special weapons, colour coded keys, and a frustrated little chap who bears a startling resemblance to Ultimate's Jetman make up Brainstorm.

The idea is to escape from the castle in one piece and that means defeating eight watchful guardians with special weapons found along the way, as well as the usual motley bunch of nasties. The guardians are unusual - no monsters, instead they include a deadly teapot, a boot and light bulb. It fairly makes you tremble at the knees.

Doors must be opened and as only three keys can be carried at a time it is a good idea to map the locations of any keys left behind, and the colour and location of each doorway.

Picking up the keys can be very frustrating. The aliens are semi-intelligent and zoom in as soon as you stop - it is very easy to pick up one key and drop another.

Your little man moves smoothly enough and the nasties rematerialise at an alarming rate. Each time you touch one your damage rating rises.

Scoring is on a percentage scale depending on how far you have explored. The graphics are up to the Bubble Bus high standard and are well designed and colourful.

Brainstorm is not original by any means, but it is based on the highly successful arcade adventure format used by so many. If by chance you have not yet grown sick of games with huge areas of alien-filled rooms then it is not a bad deal - especially for its price.

IF LEATHER, speed and the constant danger of fiery death appeal to you then this motorbike racing simulation will have you itching to don your helmet.

There is a choice of seven races on the circuit, most of which are run through day and night. You may want to take things easy for a while and develop your speed skills during the six hour race at Monza. Alternatively, you could try the 1000 Kilometers at Zeltweg or the 24 hour race at Le Mans.

Each bike has a team of two riders ranked professionally from trainee to expert. They have sets of predetermined character ratings for skill, energy, and safety.

The performance of your bike depends upon factors you set before the start of the race. Those include power, safety, miles per gallon and the type of tyres you use. The first three factors are interrelated. If you push power to its limits and then assign large ratings for safety and miles per gallon, the power rating will decrease.

Often something will go wrong - you may run out of fuel and be forced to make a stop. Bike numbers are displayed on the grandstand and when a problem occurs yours will light up red. If you have a monumental disaster, or crash, the number square turns white.

When the bike comes into the pit the rider gets off and you can replace him. Then you move the mechanic over the bike until the part you want is displayed in the message window. Much use is made of menus, and a joystick is handy to move the pointer arrow from one option to another without getting the numerous control keys mixed up.

As the event draws to a close the chequered flag is dropped. Determination, strategy and luck will determine whether you have the cup and points.

Endurance is an excellent simulation but rides on the back of Formula One, its prequel. The standard of presentation in both games is high but the pattern of play is subtly different. If you enjoy motorbike racing - and it is becoming more popular by the season - you can now have the satisfaction of running your own team.

A HOST of cuddly characters bundled together with an unusual plot makes Zoot a winner.

Zoot, a purple man, who is king when it comes to boxing with monsters, has lost his marbles. They rolled down a drain when he was playing with a friend and the pals have gone down the sewers after them.

Instead of muck they find caves inhabited by pillow-shaped creatures called Mankins. Each creature has a name and peculiarities of character. Bodkin is shy, Cheeky is indestructible when he has his tongue out, and Bogie has a habit which is too disgusting to mention.

There are 234 screens but each requires one or a combination of four basic skills in order to win. On the Punch Drunk screen Zoot must hit the Mankins with his boxing glove. He also has the aid of Super Zip who flies across the screen, fist to the fore, knocking out Mankins.

If all that excitement is not enough you will be turned on by the trimmings of the game. First there is the cartoon-style demonstration which introduces the Mankins. Then Zoot bursts onto the screen and yells in a wonderful synthesised voice 'Zoot, ha, ha, ha ...' It's all great fun and criminally underpriced.

THE PHOENIX rises from the ashes and a game is born with truly flickering displays, rasping sound and character square graphics.

Star Firebirds has nothing going for it and uses a plot which is five years old. Travel to the outer limits of the known cosmos to launch an attack on the Firebirds.

Don't worry though, the birds are so bungling in their efforts to shoot at you that all you have to worry about is getting them into your sights and keeping the laser firing.

As you travel through to higher levels the action gets faster, you will be attacked by World War Two bombs and the Firebird motherships.

I was intrigued to find that an artist had painted the screen displays on the inlay. From those the game looks incredibly exciting. If you are not of an artistic bent, you may as well ignore this game.

IF YOU'RE a highway surfer - all mouth and no action - you will probably feel sea sick in this simulation of boards and breakers.

The package includes a plastic surf board, or paddle, which, you may say is the height of hype. You would be wrong, however, as the board is intrinsic to game play. Turn the Spectrum keyboard around 90 degrees and centre the board on the 'G' key. Just press down on the relevant part of the board and your computer counterpart will make the same move but in open sea, and hopefully on a breaker.

Spectrum Plus owners will find the paddle difficult to use as the studs under the board depress more than one key, producing inaccurate results.

Before you make your way out to sea in search of surf you must take note of weather conditions and water temperature. Once you've worked out the weather you can choose your equipment from two menus which come on a help sheet. You must make reference to that before pressing any keys.

When you have entered all the data you can trip off to the beach with your board and attempt to make your way into the briny without getting drowned. The board is steered left and right with the keys on either side of the plastic paddle.

When you are far enough out to sea you can turn and stand, sit or lie on the board, waiting for a wave. As the crest of the breaker looms press the '2' key and prepare to surf. If you are at the right angle the display will change showing an incredible full frontal of a surfer riding a wave. Pull back on the board or you will wipe out or have to bomb out. The game is full of surfi-speak.

The game is a true simulator - you can practice in fairly calm conditions or try for a high score on the ranking table. The only thing the package does not supply is 50 million tons of salt water.

Surfchamp won't do much for your style if you're a real surfer, but it gives the feel of the sport. I'm not sure that the plastic control paddle is as indispensable as New Concepts claims - I was able to surf quite happily without it - but it is an incentive which players are bound to appreciate.

WARGAME specialist Lothlorien is back again with an exciting simulation of the battle of Waterloo.

The game is for one player only against the computer, and you've no choice about whose side you're on - stuff you hand in your shirt and put on a funny hat. You're Napoleon.

Napoleon, of course, was the loser, so this is one of those change-the-course-of-history games. The playing area is not large, about three screens in all, with a single battle involving less than 100,000 troops.

The map is unsophisticated but scrolls smoothly and is very clear, as are the units, cavalry and infantry. Artillery does not enter into the game.

As Napoleon, you must launch an effective assault on Wellington's strong defensive lines, occupying two chateaux and a series of ridges. Terrain features vary in their effect on movement and combat, and the essence of the game is to maintain maximum maneuverability.

An excellent feature of the game is the option to delegate command of the six French army corps to their individual commanders.

In such situations a commander will take advantage of particular details of his position, and may advise against your orders. Alternatively, you can move each unit individually. The option means that beginners can play swiftly and simply, commanding only a few units, and sending reinforcements when required, taking fuller control when they understand the game better.

At the learning level the game is reasonably easy to win, while we also scored one easy victory at the standard level. At the highest level the English get better morale and higher strength units, making victory very difficult.

Four different strategies have been programmed into the game, so you cannot rely on the same tactics twice, and our victory was probably lucky as Wellington seemed to have little stomach for a fight on the day. In the rematch, Napoleon was slaughtered.

Waterloo plays fast and a game lasts no more than an hour or so. While wargame fanatics may find it too simple for purist tastes, it's nevertheless lots of fun, fairly realistic in its results, and ideal for inexperienced wargamers.