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Paradroid is a droid which can take control of other droids, which is just as well because several droids have gone berserk on a space trader and we must regain control. Playing the role of the controller of the Paradroid influence device, you must regain the ship by eliminating or pacifying the renegades.

Pacifying the droids can only be achieved by contacting one in the ship, colliding with it and then battling for its mind. This battle takes the form of a screen display of the interface circuitry between the droid and the influence device. To win, you must turn the coloured square at the top of the screen to that of your device by counteracting the droid's defences. Success brings control and an extended life span for your electronic parasite; failure brings annihilation and a new game.

Droids come in all shapes and sizes and the higher the code number the more dangerous it is. Droids above code 4 can shoot back, draining your precious power which can only be repleated by taking over another droid or finding one of the recharging stations somewhere on the ship.

The ship has many decks to be cleared and when you eliminate the last droid on a particular deck, the lights go out and you can proceed to the nearest lift to go to another level. You can also escape by this means at any time if you find that things are getting too hot to handle.

At the start of each game the status indicators register a green light, but the faster and further your proceed into the game the light turns red and you become the object of attention by the higher level droids. There are also information points which you can plug into to gain information about the ship, the most useful of which is the ability to call up a map of the level which you are on so that lifts and recharging points can be quickly reached.

An analysis of the game would merely pass this off as a maze game but the problems encountered raise it into something worthy of a second glance.

As a follow up to Gribbly's Day Out, Paradroid fulfils the promise of better things to come. The screen scrolling is exceptionally smooth and the implementation of a rule that droids remain invisible unless within direct view of the paradroid adds an element of surprise to the game.