BATTLE BEAST

BATTLE BEAST (7th Level, CD-ROM for PC, $49.99) Mortal Wombat anyone? This superbly designed, relatively nonviolent fighting game features cute, furry creatures that morph into mechanized brawlers, and its 7th Level pedigree (from the producer of Monty Python's Com plete Waste of Time disc) guarantees plenty of laughs before and after rounds. But ultimately any game of this kind has to be judged by the quality of its one-on-one combat, and here Battle Beast suffers a KO. While it's a kick to sic a mutant puppy on an equally bloodthirsty turtle, I only wish that the aggravatingly un- responsive joystick commands matched the quality of the animation. B