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Earth has been invaded by an evil alien force known as the Xanthidian, who are systematically moving from country to country, wiping out armies, cities and whole populations. However, they haven't yet destroyed four prototype Raider craft - the only things capable of beating them back. The main problem is finding a pilot brave and skilled enough to complete this task. You're welcome to have a crack... but do you fit the bill?

At the start of the mission the screen displays a map of Earth, split into 32 sections. In the bottom left-hand area of the map there are four icons, representing the Raiders. Only one craft can be moved at a time, with the function keys switching control. Areas occupied by the aliens are shown in purple, and those under human command are green.

A text read-out at the bottom of the screen gives details of each area, and indicates whether there is an active alien reactor plant present. These reactors generate alien craft, which have to be destroyed before the remaining aliens can be picked off at leisure.

The Raiders travel from area to area, destroying reactors and the occupying aliens. To visit a trouble spot, the player moves a ship to the desired section on the map and presses the fire button. The screen then changes to display a scrolling aerial view of the landscape, with the ship in the centre. Your primary target is the reactor - a flashing building hidden somewhere in the landscape. After this has been destroyed, the remaining aliens can be eliminated, allowing you to return to the map screen.

Should the aliens spread too fast, a thermonuclear device can be dropped on an occupied zone. Each Raider carries one of these bombs, which is capable of wiping out everything in the target area.

Having been driven from Earth, the aliens regroup and attack again, and a new complement of Raiders is given. The mission ends when all four Raider craft are lost, or the aliens take over the Raider's base.

Gosh! It's the year 2000 and Earth is under threat from alien invasion... Yawn - how many times have I heard this one before. This is a barely average multi-directional scrolling shoot-'em-up, and I didn't find very appealling.

The gameplay is fast, but fairly monotonous. It involves little more than flying around samey scenery, shooting reactors and aliens, and nuking a continent - or two. I'd give this a miss - the uninspiring gameplay doesn't justify the high price.

This is an enjoyable shoot-'em-up, but it tends to become a bit dull after only a little play. The map screen is quite a good idea, and forces you think where to go next - but the action becomes rather repetitive.

It's basically a very simple version of Time Pilot 84, with rather samey backdrops. The graphics and sound are fair, but I don't think there's enough action involved to warrant the ten quid price tag.

It's a shame that Raid 2000 is nothing more than a gloried multi-directional scrolling shoot-'em-up - it had the potential to be something different, and consequently a lot better.

To be fair the programmers have attempted to introduce some new features - but none of them are particularly inspired. There's not much else to say about Raid 2000, other than it's just another expensive, run-of-the-mill shoot-'em-up.

Presentation 85%
Good instructions, and polished in-game presentation.

Graphics 67%
Good bas-relief backdrops and competent sprites.

Sound 52%
Reasonable title tune and suitable spot effects.

Hookability 61%
Deceptively easy to get into, although completing the task is pretty difficult.

Lastability 50%
Becomes repetitive after a short while - there's not much variation in the gameplay and graphics.

Value For Money 47%
Not enough variety or innovative action to warrant the expensive price tag.

Overall 56%
A fairly poor Time Pilot 84 clone with an attractive front end.