Flight simulators are a dime a dozen these days, so you really need a gimmick. In this case the difference is that you are piloting the NASA Space Shuttle rather than an ordinary plane.

Sadly, this doesn't make it a very interesting program. Your mission is in four stages: take off, satellite attack, satellite recovery and, finally, landing.

In none of these parts is there any great attraction for the potential astronaut. Once you have figured out what to do - which takes some time since the instructions are less than exhaustive - it's all too easy.

The graphics don't compensate for this lack of interest. The screen displays the usual viewing window and instruments and you're offered a choice of background colours. Black and white seems to be clearest. The sound too is nothing worth travelling to deep space for. Microdeal's Space Shuttle is a better buy.