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Greetings, Space Cadet.

It may have occurred to you that mission training in preparation for sorties against Jahdran Aggressors is somewhat limited by the fact that combat spaceships have not yet been invented. Our scientists have overcome the problem, however, utilising an Earth company called Supersoft to distribute flight simulation software. This software is designed to run on the relatively primitive electronic devices of the late twentieth century known as 'home computers', but nevertheless it provides an accurate representation of advanced space weaponry and combat tactics.

That might seem like an over-the-top start to a review but it simply borrows from the style of Interdictor Pilot, the space-flight/combat simulator from Supersoft. Already a popular program on the Commodore 64, this version for the Amstrad maintains the design and playing complexity of the original. For a start, the manual is 48 pages of instrument instructions, combat tactics, galactic history, and technical background - some of this is just window-dressing, but there's still an awful lot to absorb before you can even begin to play.

The screen display shows the cockpit of an Interdictor Mk 3 one-man craft, including all relevant instrumentation and forward viewscreen. Controls are provided for speed, weapons control, targetting, navigation, FTL flight, and so on. In fact, most of the keys on the keyboard seem to control something, and you'd better not forget them in the heat of the battle!

A training simulator mode is provided, which I found useful in which you can freeze the enemy, practice flying around them and blowing them apart with your twin laser cannon. I fared dismally in the real thing, though, when the enemy actually fly around shooting back - a lot - and it's just as well the fate of humanity isn't up to me! Oh well, back to the simulator...

There are some nice touches, such as the dim cockpit with instrument lights which flicker into life as you power up the craft. And the program caters for people who like the nose to drop when you push the joystick forward, or those who prefer the opposite response. The game is very realistic, if you can use that term about a space game, and that isn't surprising as it was written by a serving RAF officer.

Criticisms? Well, at £17.95 I consider it a bit pricey. Also there are only four colours used in the display, but this is unavoidable on the Amstrad because Mode 1 is required to provide the graphics resolution. Elite it isn't, but at the LET Show, no-one on the Firebird stand had any idea when an Amstrad version might be available. So if you want to boldly go, go and buy Interdictor Pilot.

Transmission ends.