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The ``hero'' of our adventure is Mark Hammond, a retired bank robber and former member of the evil Collins Crew. He witnesses the murder of his wife and the abduction of his son.

He follows the kidnappers, only to be captured by the gang, savagely beaten and then put to work at a series of lethal jobs for crime boss Charlie Jolson, who is holding young Hammond hostage.

To rescue his son, Hammond kills scores of people, including old friends, armies of police and citizens caught in the cross fire or run down as Hammond races from place to place to complete almost two dozen gory missions for his nemesis.

The game has a parallel track with a troubled cop named Frank Carter, also out to bring down Jolson, whose story you can play when you've finished Hammond's grisly trail.

This ambitious creation is carried forward by elaborate cut scenes, which are lovingly done and show obvious attention to detail. The developers loved them so much they made it impossible to skip them, so you spend a lot of time watching. They're also marred by the impossibility of understanding the British accents of the speakers.

While you do spend a lot of time behind the wheel, ``The Getaway'' is not a simple drive through London.

You're almost always pitted against an overwhelming number of enemies. Armed with a pistol, or weapons you pick up after dispatching bad guys, you usually have to fight your way to the end of each mission, and it only takes a few shots to dispatch you.

You can regain your health, but only by stopping and leaning against a handy wall. That method seems to take forever, and during that time you're often set upon by cops or crooks.

There's nothing on the screen to guide you, either. No ammo graphs you'll know you're out when the gun stops shooting no maps, no compass, no lifeline. When Hammond is shot, a stain of blood appears. Get him shot a few more times and he starts to stagger and gasp.

There are other problems with ``The Getaway.''

For one thing, you're constantly driving. While Soho has faithfully reproduced a big chunk of London, it's not a very interesting part. The drive is either a simple case of getting from one place to another boring or having to battle cops and robbers the entire distance, which is often almost impossible.

Targeting is handled by one of the right shoulder buttons. Unfortunately, you have to hit the button to change targets, and while you're shooting each bad guy several times, everybody else with a gun is shooting at you.

There are stealth sections, but they rarely make sense in the context of the game. And of course there's the moral issue how many people can you justify killing to retrieve your kidnapped child? Two? Five? Twenty?

To the developers, apparently, as many as it takes.

Graphics get a B. The detailed cityscapes took a lot of effort, and it shows. Characters aren't the most lifelike you'll ever see, although much time has been expended on facial expressions. Overall, this is a nice-looking game despite some clipping.

Control gets a C+. Driving and walking takes a delicate touch, and targeting requires quick reflexes. There are some camera angle problems, also.

Sound gets a B. The British version of English is almost impossible to understand. On the other hand, there's a nice taste of accents from many parts of London. You'll easily understand the vulgarity, which makes up much of what passes for conversation among the hoods. Weapons and driving effects are excellent, as is the evocative musical score.

I wasn't wild about ``The Getaway,'' although I believe it's worthy of a B. It's an interesting effort that might have benefited from a few months of fine-tuning and a sense of humor.

However, as a harbinger of things to come, it's a solid effort that will be imitated. The nonstop violence and endless cursing means this is not a game that should fall into the hands of children.

``The Getaway is rated M, for ages 17 and older.

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