Andrew Braybrook's latest game, Alleykat, looks set to be every bit as popular as Uridium.
The game takes place in a futuristic world, where all that seems to matter is that you become the top racing pilot in the Alleykat trials.
What probably saves the game from a terminally short lifespan is the way in which you can vary the aim of the game. As well as choosing the type of landscape on which you race, you can decide if you want to try your hand at endurance, demolition, speed trials, dodgem or random games.
Each of these allows you to amass points by different means. Demolition is reasonably straightforward. Basically, you must destroy anything in sight with your laser guns. In the Speed Trial, you must travel at full velocity all the way.
The different landscapes all have different properties. Abroris is mainly a forestation. Lots of things to shoot. There are also Aquadromes which are made up of pools. Then there is Hardwall, Grafico, Shatter-rock and Technorame. All have their own snags: whether it be amazingly tough construction, or peculiar gravity.
Your craft, the Speeder, is pretty nippy too. It's got a very handy laser cannon with which you can destroy just about anything if you hit it enough times. You can zoom left and right, picking up the energy boosters as you go. You can also accelerate and decelerate, loop the loop and even metamorphose into another craft.
The graphics and sounds are up to Uridium standard. The screen scrolls from top to bottom, and your Speeder - although small - is very well animated. Apparently, you are lucky enough to have "45 degree viewpoint with the light perpendicular to the Speeder shadow". So there...
There are a couple of special features which 128 owners will be able to use. You get more bullets, more Katterkillers (your biggest problem) and extra craft.
Alleykat is a cracking game. There is detail, speedy gameplay, and enough depth to keep you coming back for more.
If you liked Uridium, then Alleykat's the next game for you.