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In deep space time hangs heavy for the robo boys tending their herds of Cybernetically Operated Wagons (COWS). But their dull existence is enlivened by space creatures that attempt to upset their progress through a rectangular space zone.

You have control of a robo boy, who can only move in straight, unobstructed lines; the object is to progress from the bottom left of the playing area to the top right. The amount you can move is decided by the roll of two dice, giving vertical and horizontal components. (Diagonal moves are impossible.)

After the first moves have been made, aliens emerge from the top right-hand corner and take up random positions. (You can choose how many aliens there are, within limits.) If you move onto a square occupied by an alien you space them out, but incur penalty points - and after you've made your move, the aliens reposition themselves. If they box you in, you are spaced out and suffer more penalty points.

And you have just one minute to complete each turn. The slower you are the more penalty points you earn, and if your penalty score grows larger than your handicap score the game is lost.

Control keys: definable
Joystick: Kempston, Interface II
Use of colour: good backgrounds, but poor in playing area
Graphics: characters so small they're worthless
Sound: bleeps and blips
Skill levels: player can choose size of playing area and number of aliens
Screens: one playing area of variable size

'Bleugh! Spaced Out isn't much fun. The graphics are tiny and far from attractive, and I didn't find a scrap of entertaining material. This game isn't even worth £1.99 - incredible, considering its two authors are ex-Denton Designs.'

'When I first saw this game, I thought 'what the '!£%8's going on here?'. Spaced Out is a weird strategy-type board game, and it takes a few plays to understand what's going on. The graphics on the gaming board are very basic, with fat, wobbling sprites chasing each other around the grid, though the backdrop and icon-choice panel are very pretty. But though it doesn't hold the interest for long, Spaced Out is quite playable.'

'This is easily the most original game I've seen in the last few issues. The concept is very strange, but fiendishly simple. It's reasonably presented, with a delightful background - though sadly there's only one. The main graphics of the play area are unimpressive and very small, but the animation is good. You can rely on Firebird to come out with something original once in a while.'