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As you've probably already worked out from the title, this is the Amstrad version of Defender. More to the point, it is virtually identical to Acornsoft's Planetoid. In fact, you could put the two games on monitors next to each other and I would edy you to pick out which was which.

Of course, pointing out this similarity is high praise indeed for the game itself, as anyone who knows Planetoid can confirm. Fast, furious, colourful and complicated, this is for gamers fleet of finger, quick of brain and At One With The Keyboard.

For starters, you have seven fingers to worry about! (Up, down, thrust, reverse direction, fire, smart bomb and hyperspace). Then there are hoards of little green alien ships intent on kidnapping humans from the planet you are guarding. Best not to let this happen, because once they reach the top of the screen, they mutate into extremely fast suicide ships which hurl themselves into you. Shooting the ships in mid-air (not the men!) gives a bonus, as does catching the falling men and placing them on the ground. Just like the BBC version, this generates a multicoloured score which drifts around the screen after you until you out-distance it.

Higher levels (not that I see them very often!) feature additional nasties such as mine layers, and pods full of fast, tiny swarmers which chase you relentlessly when released (best save your smart bombs for these). The game extends over several screen widths horizontally and a radar map at the top of the screen shows you what dire things are happening in other parts of the game, as well as warning of ships about to appear near you.

All in all, a very challenging arcade game for those who want to pit themselves against a really difficult shoot-'em-up space program. If you've never seen a version of Defender, I warn you not to get discouraged at first, as you'll do an awful lot of dying before you get the hang of it. Recommended.