Whether it's a thermonuclear bomb or a super-atomic core, nail-biting last minute deactivations feature in practically every action movie. Why? Well it's because they're excruciatingly, buttock-clenchingly, watch-thru-ya-fingersly exciting. The thought that civilization depends on the uncrossing of a few wires and the removal of a central thingamabob is enough to bring the calmest of super agents out in a cold sweat.

But how do you get to experience such unparalleled levels of tension without joining MI6, building a holodeck or getting a job as a night manager at a crumbling ex-Soviet Bloc power station? Simple, you buy Total Meltdown. This fiendishly tense tabletop game has had us utterly enthralled since it arrived here at Firebox Central, and we guarantee your palms will be sweating the second you clap eyes on it.

Looking like something out of Dr Who's Starfleet Chocolate Factory, Total Meltdown features 4 intense challenges that must be completed before the whole thing goes boom! Flashing lights, a ticking clock and taunting voice crank up the tension to ludicrous levels as you attempt to decipher the correct port for a bundle of wires, complete a twelve piece circuit breaker, crack the code and then remove the central core without touching the sides. Only you can stop a complete meltdown!

You'll feel like James Bond, Jack Bauer, and Mr Scott all rolled into one, and the temptation to yell "She cannae take it Cap'n" will become truly unbearable as the moment of truth looms. Of course, saving the world wouldn't be half as much fun without a little taunting/screaming/desperate encouragement from onlookers, so the clever makers have made sure that up to 4 players can join in the action.

Total Meltdown really is one of the most innovative little distractions we've seen in ages and the fact that such a ridiculously exciting game requires nerves of steel, quick thinking, not to mention a fair bit of intelligence marks it out as a classic in the making. Disarmingly brilliant. Boom boom!