IT'S bathtime. Well, not really but you might feel like you are in the bath if and when you take the plunge with Treasures of the Deep, the action adventure from Namco released by Sony Computer Entertainment.

The game is something of a novelty in that all the action takes place (surprise, surprise) under water. You pull on the wetsuit and flippers in the role of ex-US Navyman Jack Runyan.

He's a tough guy with a conscience, as has the game. If you try to shoot the sharks, dolphins and other weird and wonderful creatures which appear from the murky depths you will lose points - and get told off (in training mode anyway). I know, as I tried to blast everything in sight with my speargun! Naughty I know, but what the hell...

Instead you have to net the man-eating hammerhead sharks and other giants to keep them at bay while you get on with the game.

You will find yourself visiting sunken ships, airplanes etc and recovering fantastic works of art and various bits of treasure. Although you can't destroy the wildlife, there is still plenty to go at, like enemy frogmen, sea monsters and baddy subs out to plunder the treasures of the deep to line their own pockets.

And you have plenty of hi-tech weapons and submersibles to chase and transform the enemy into shark bait.

Your quest for hidden treasure takes you across the globe on 12 hunting missions, from diving in the shark-infested Barrier Reef to the Bermuda Triangle.

You begin with a pretty feeble sub but you can make money as you progress and so trade up for better weaponry - homing torpedoes, heat-seeking mines and even steel mesh wet suites etc - and subs, up to the ultimate Viper attack sub.

The effects of being underwater are quite good, with realistic lighting contrasting between shafts of sunlight and gloomy underwater canyons, with suitably hazy views into the distance. And the sound effects are interesting, with bubbles galore

Treasures of the Deep offers plenty of action in an environment where it definitely is a case of sink or swim.JE

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.