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MEET EVIL ORVILLE THE INVINCIBLE BALL

THE LATEST Spectrum releases from Quicksilva bear a striking resemblance to original arcade games. The new offering is Astro Blasters and looks like a cross between two arcade favourites, Phoenix and Avenger.

Your spaceship is at the bottom of the screen and a squadron of alien birds wing their way through space, dropping clusters of bombs on you. If you manage to survive two attack waves, your spacecraft will run into a meteor storm which is sure to destroy it. The game is very colourful but the illusion of travelling through space is spoiled because the stars seem to appear on the screen at random and there is no scrolling effect as you move through space.

The second game is Frenzy and it looks like the arcade game Berzerk. You are in a maze patrolled by evil robots, a wandering ball called Orville and a mine-layer.

The robots can be destroyed but your laser gun will fire only in the direction in which you last moved. That can be awkward at times but it adds to the fun.

You will not be able to kill Evil Orville, so if you meet him it is best to dodge out by one of the four exits in the maze. You must also be careful not to step on the mines.

Astro Blasters and Frenzy are both available for the 16K and 48K Spectrum at £4.95 each.

They can be obtained from Quicksilva Ltd, Palmerston Park house, 13 Palmerston Road, Southampton.