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Neeeeooooow! Stafe those suckers! Budda budda - doom! Yes, sir! This is the sort of exclamation which issued from the amazingly adult C&VG review team when they looked at Parallax.

Looking like an upmarket Uridium, the screen scrolls in four directions, and your ship rotates around and moves in much the same way as in Asteroids.

The aim of the game is to escape a horde of nasty aliens. It started off as a very friendly visit to their planet, to exchange information on technology. However, while having a reasonably innocent poke around in one of their restricted areas, you come across some rather startling info. It appears that they have been sending messages back and forth, arranging an attack on Earth. Eeek!

Your mission is now clear; rescue the scientists who are strewn across the planet, and escape. Your success is vital - if you don't make it, there will be no hope for Earth.

The graphics are simply wonderful. The most exciting feature is the way you can fly under or over the various parts of the landscape. By pulling back on the stick, you increase altitude, and by pushing forward, you dive. An ever-present shadow flies along beneath your ship, allowing you to judge height.

The surface of the planet is littered with features; small meshes, bars, roofs and hangers. The hangers are the key to the game. In each one, you will find something necessary for your quest.

It may be a scientist, whom you will have to stun in order to get him back to the spaceship - I mean, it would be pretty tough trying to convince a boffin that the aliens for whom they were working are going to attack Earth at any minute.

If it's a computer, then you will have to go through a couple of stages before you can operate it. Things get a little tricky here.

In order to escape each level, you need to break down a security barrier. This can only be done by shutting down the system which helps to run the planet.

Now, I don't want to explain in too much detail just how this is done, but you need to compile a code-word to access it.

The program is very professionally presented, with music playing as the game loads, and some great title sequences. These really set the mood, with small words on a large screen giving credits to the authors of story, graphics and music.

All the graphics move smoothly, and the numerous aliens which you must deal with are all amazingly "correct" for the feel of the game. Parallax is great. Fast, slick, smooth and above all entertaining.