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What a mixture! Deathstar Interceptor combines the best from Star Wars, Buck Rogers and Galaxians.

As Earth's only hope you must fly Starfighter 1 against the Empire Deathstar and blast it into a zillion micro-particles of space-junk.

Planet Earth and the Deathstar frame the first, Galaxian-style screen in which hordes of different enemy attack craft battle against you. Your fleet of four Starfighters can each sustain six hits from enemy mines, in effect giving 24 lives. After hitting about 35 aliens their command ship will attack - fire a laser bolt into its belly and you'll be pulled into the Deathstar's trench which leads to the ultimate target, the exhaust port.

Down there in the trench you will be attacked by wave after wave of fearsome alien attackers: close-combat fighters, intercept missiles, hover tanks and Duranium barriers which will block your path.

If you survive this ordeal, you must destroy the Deathstar by hitting the exhaust port. However, this is only possible when it is red and must be done within 10 seconds, otherwise 100% accurate laser turrets will annihilate you.

This game squeezes every last drop of power from the C64. The theme tune from Star Wars which opens the game, the metallic sound of the ships, the explosions and missiles are all exceptionally realistic.

Coupled with the 3D graphics, 4 levels, 12 screens and numerous aliens to zap, it all means that game will keep your attention for ages.

Although the blurb says this game takes place in A.D. 4020, it's very much of the here and now.

May The Force be with you!

It seemed to me that Death Star Interceptor was a less ambitious version of the arcade game Star Wars, the music being a rather wobbly version (probably to avoid infringement of copyright) of the Star Wars theme.

The aliens looked effective as they spiralled down the screen, although I thought the one referred to as an 'attack pod' looked remarkably like a flying hamburger!

The tunnel screen with its flashing blue and white surface was a real eye strain and made some of the aliens difficult to see.

Although I found control fairly easy, the concept of joystick forward for 'down' and back for 'up' was hard to get used to with just side-to-side movement.

This is one of those "just one more go games", and one of the better shoot-'em-ups for the C64.

The presentation is reasonable but the game is poor by C64 standards. It rarely rises above the basic shoot-'em-up with a pretty background. It does have many screens but there is no real compulsion to play it again...