Earth is dead. Multiple nuclear meltdowns coupled with ecological disaster have destroyed our once great world. What remains of the population have been crammed into massive ten million-seater Conestoga-class starships. Each stapship must find a suitably uninhabited world ripe for colonisation.

Enter the player, who, armed only with his Trailblazer star cruiser has set out ahead of the colony ships and must find a world suitable for colonisation before the people on board each ship start to die. Of course, most of the planets in each solar system are inhabited and words of diplomacy must be used in order to make friends with the neighbours.

Some may send you off on a special mission in order to prove your friendship. Some aliens are less friendly, so expect plenty of nasty photon bolts being sent in the direction of your craft.

Your Trailblazer has space enough to carry cargo and money can be made by selling goods on the Universal Exchange Interface. These financial gains can be spent on new components to repair the damage aliens inflict on you. Alternatively, components from less important systems can be switched around in order to keep the more important ones functioning.

Probes are also stored on your ship, and these can be sent out to collect information on a certain planet. If there are any useful materials, mining complexes can be dispatched. Once a planet is claimed in this way, resources are instantly added to your holdings.

Light Speed is a very complex Elite-type game combining both strategy and arcade elements. The depth of gameplay is immense and visiting different star systems and making them suitable for colonisation is a very involving task. For example, I managed to find one alien race's secret base and formed a pact to destroy their enemies in order to make the system safe for my colonists.

The varied rewards for completing secret missions also serve to make the game more compelling. Graphically, the 3D polygon graphics serve their purpose but aren't overly special - and the sound is much the same. There's loads to keep you occupied in Light Speed, with a huge amount of strategy fun to keep you busy, but it lacks the instant attraction and playability of the classic Elite.

Take a peek if you fancy what you've seen here.