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It was John Major that first advocating going "Back to Basics", an idea that was received with all the contempt it deserved. But a similar idea is sweeping through the games industry. Darxide, the work of David Braben, who put together one of the most complex game concepts ever - Elite - stays true to the plot and essence of Asteroids, an Atari vector coin-op of 1980.

The plot is simple: blast all the asteroids in the field before they bash into you, and take out the odd scudding alien too. Your ship is a little more sophisticated than the pitiful pointer of the prehistoric original - in a wonder of press-on technology, it now has wings. Four of them, heavily impregnated with laser armament. And if that doesn't help you fresh and dry, nothing will.

Created by Frontier Developments, headed by David Braben, the man behind Elite. Shares some similarities.

Destroy asteroids, rescue miners, annihilate aliens.

The asteroids start as huge, tumbling monoliths that crumble under your lasers into smaller and faster fragments. All of these rotate and with impressive fully-textured surfaces. An exploding 'roid sometimes leaves a booster bonus or power-up. Look out for them on the scope.

Innocent mining personnel cling to the surface of the asteroids amidst the battlezone and are left spinning in space when their refuge is destroyed. You must retrieve them before asphyxiation or stray laser blades take their toll. The miner's cries help locate them, as nifty spatial audio creates a 3D effect.

Aliens have chosen the traditional 'close encounters' saucer shape for their craft. These swirl around reducing your shield values when they can. They also attack the miners' shuttles on some mission and must be eliminated!

Your efforts to comply with mission briefings are limited by the approach of the moon during each session. A time limit is symbolised by its slow scaling approach. Failure to complete all objectives means losing a life.

I've altered my opinion of Darxide as I've continued played it. Even this comment has undergone changes, as the gameplay itself became much more promising. There are several cool things about Darxide; the music, the inertial control, the texture-mapping and neat light-sourcing.

The game does have some atmosphere. But initially it seems devoid of drama, with little apart from time limits to tax you. However, five or so missions into the game and things pick up - groovy alien saucers swirl around your ship, huge bombers chuck proton torpedoes at you, and although you'd never have suspected it, the game becomes quite chaotic.

Darxide is, at heart, a homage to Asteroids, and not the most amazing game on a console, but it's an unusually concentrated blast fest for the 32X.

David Braben refuted my suggestion that Darxide strongly resembles the combat sequences from Elite. Nevertheless, similarities continued to nag me throughout this. While Gus is right in saying the gameplay becomes varied as the levels unfold (the chance to act as 'convoy fighter escort' midway through the game is a welcome break) you're ultimately playing 3D Asteroids with knobs on.

Plus points include the excellent texture-mapped asteroids, the nifty lock-on targeting system and the depth-cued sound. Points off, however, for the limited scenario and strung out gameplay which evolves too slowly. As a component of a broader game, Darxide would have added some superb spacebound atmosphere. As it stands, it's a strangely 'empty' experience that fails to excite.

Graphics 86%
P. Texture-mapped asteroids and an impressive player vehicle.
N. There's not enough going on in space.

Animation 83%
P. Good movement in 3D and excellent miner animation.
N. Some jerkiness and slowdown with a lot on-screen.

Music 88%
P. Lots of excellent synth-based tunes.

Effects 87%
P. Good all-round effects, with clear speech and use of spatial sound.

Playability 76%
P. Has the pleasing simplicity of Asteroids and 3D shooters.
N. A sense of danger enters the game much later on.

Lastability 78%
P. New game elements with each successive mission.
N. The same scenario all the way through becomes limiting.

Overall 79%
A slickly realised though underbaked space odyssey of arcade simplicity - but it does pick up considerably.