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Many games available for the BBC Micro are either a copy of arcade type offerings or a combination of games that have been written and re-written time and time again. It is getting more and more difficult to find an original as well as interesting and taxing new idea.

In my quest to find a more advanced concept in a home entertainment computer game I saw "Space Warp" at my local computer shop. The assistant gave me a cold look when I asked what it was like and told me that if I had the courage to try this game I was game for anything!!!

Not to be easily deterred, home I went dreaming of long forgotten space battles beyond the stars (and the return of Star Wars). I'm one of those long lost breed of people who love science fiction.

Sitting behind the keyboard of my trusty USS BBC looking out on space through my long range TV I read the instructions, which were very good, but a little confusing at first. You have a choice of skill levels and type of foe you wish to meet. For me Klingons. Star Trek here we come.

I must say that each time the cassette has been used it has loaded first time with no problem, and the instructions are not that bad, but you will need to keep them close as a point of reference. You are also supplied with a strip of paper that slides under the plastic on the computer's top which tells you the Function keys' uses. Each one can have up to three commands, and I can tell you that under pressure you can be easily confused. More of that later.

The program runs on both the 0.1 and the 1.0 Operating Systems, I have the 1.2 and that loaded with no problems either.

It would not be possible for me to go into a detailed explanation here of what does what and how, if only because it is part of the fun of learning the game, the main screen presents you with a remarkable amount of information in a small space but it is not cramped. The main area is your long range scanner with you in the middle, my only criticism was the way your ship, or anything else come to that, can be eaten away with the crosshair that you move around the screen. If you move it over an object it can cut it in half! And that includes you.

Other screens available are STATUS, DATA BANK, FUNCTIONS ALLOCATION BATTLE COMPUTER and so on. All are presented with very good graphics and colour, which must be Mode 2. The sound is another interesting point which has been used well to produce all kinds of different effects.

When you get into the game, things begin to move fast and you can find yourself running out of fuel and ammunition; it is at this point that you need to dock at a star base. This to me is the hardest part of the game. As yet I have only managed to dock with it once, and on more than one occasion I have even blown it up thinking it was the enemy which did not please Star Fleet Command.

As was said earlier the pace can get hot and it is easy to hit the wrong key. This can be a little annoying if you have been running for an hour or so, neither the escape key or the break keys have been disabled and for the work that has gone into the program this is a shame. To overcome this, make a couple of little covers out of cardboard and place them over the keys.

In conclusion, Spacewarp seems a good, interesting game, if a little difficult to master at first. However, don't let that put you off as it is well worth a look. At £11.50 it is on the expensive side of entertainment but if your interest lies in cunning and strategy it is worth the extra cost.