The date: 2079. The mission to patrol and protect the planet Earth (the less bombed bits, anyway) from the invading Wavaren. The task, to seek and obliterate just about anything that moves.

Energy Warrior has loads of levels, oodles of aliens and who knows what else? But despite some stunning graphic effects, there's little variety. The aliens look interesting at first but become predictable after a while, and the game is reluctant to display its status. Oh and the alleged provision for joystick is nowhere to be seen - it's keys only on this one.

I can't quite get over the spiffo graphics, though - absolutely brilliant stuff. Your ship and the aliens float around on one plane, while the background and the increasing levels of foreground move at different rates, giving a really effective feel of perspective and movement.

So all the world may be a stage, but what happened to the script? A repetitive plot, I'm afraid - shoot and avoid, shoot and avoid. Every so often a robot centipede appears, and by shooting this you can collect bonuses - energy bombs, or keys to zap you into another area. Snore city.

Energy Warrior is the first release from Mastertronic's new MAD X label (X for extra old, p'raps?), which gives you two games for the price of one. Backed with the newey as the old fave (Whose? Ed), Molecule Man, all of two years old now, but still the same and still with the original maze designer. It wasn't bad for '86, but it's looking a little gnarled around the edges now.

Honestly though, this is not the value package it looks - unless you're easily seduced by pretty graphics, or you're (ahem) desperate to lay hands on Molecule Man. Well, someone might be.

Natty graphics but monotonous gameplay. Don't be taken in by that groovy screenshot!