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Recent studies of the southern regions of your home planet, Arth, have uncovered remarkable evidence of an ancient subterranean culture that existed thousands of years ago. This all-but-forgotten race of humans apparently arrived on Arth in a giant spaceship, Noah. They were seemingly escaping annihilation by three alien races: Uhleks, Gazurtoids, and Phlegmaks. The ship came from a planet that until now only existed in legend; the planet earth.

Suddenly intent on discovering their room, the population of Arth has Interstel embark on a huge exploration experiment. Having rediscovered and mastered earth's knowledge of space-travel Interstel charge a team of trainee space cadets (including yourself) with the task of exploring the galaxy to find out exactly what happened to Earth.

The project isn't government-aided and funds are relatively low, hence you're only equipped with a basic ship to begin with. It's up to you and your crew to find and bring back minerals, alien artifacts and new lifeforms, trading them for cash to buy ever-better ships to explore deeper and deeper into space.

You begin your vast and intrepid commission safe and sound in Starport. Represented by a little man in a red space suit, you may choose from a number of options while docked here: you could visit the bank to admite your assets or pop into the trade depot to buy a new engine, shields, laser cannon, or missiles for your ship. However, it's recommended that you purchase four boring cargo pods for your ship before you do anything else. Then drop in on personnel and get yourself a crew. You've a choice of human, reptilian, insect-like, plant-like, or android personnel, each specialising (but still requiring expensive training) in navigation, science, engineering, medicine, and so on.

Your ship (which you have the pleasure of naming before it's launched) comes equipped with an engine (of sorts) and a little feel. So once you've assigned your crew their posts, you may boldly go where everybody else seems to be going. It makes sense to explore your own solar system before heading off into deepest space, to get used to the game controls. Also you can collect some quite profitable minerals, allowing you to upgrade your ship for when you feel ready to spread your wings.

Collecting minerals, artifacts, and so on from planets is achieved by piloting a terrain vehicle around your ship's landing site (fuel limits restrict travel), picking up items and info as you go.

As play progresses and you discover more and more about your immediate surroundings, little snippets of information come your way concerning the instability of Arth's sun. And it seems this is more than a natural phenomenon. Your task takes on a more urgent pace as your need to discover as much as possible about your galaxy, hoping for clues as to what's happening to your sun before it goes nova.

Play is slow to begin with and waching your ship land on planets takes an age. However, the landing sequence may be turned off and once you begin to explore outside Arth's system Starflight becomes very interesting.

There are 270 star systems and 800 planets waiting to be discovered, with minerals, ancient (and recent) ruins, alien lifeforms, and artifacts there for the plundering.

Fortunately for the sake of lasting interest, not everything goes your way: space combat (or its avoidance) plays a large part in Starflight as do other elements derogatory to your success such as running out of fuel or energy (easier to do than you might like!), the crushing gravity of some planets, engine or communications failure, planetside storms, and hostile lifeforms; it's a hard life in the Interstel Space Corps.

Although sound is pathetic and animation poor, Starflight is intriguing to play. There exists a real sense of discovery and even excitement as you dare to travel further from Arth. And it's a real good feeling to leave Starport in control of a ship so well decked out with shields, lasers, missiles, and a thrusting, throbbing mega-engine that she could give even the Enterprise a tough time... if only I had Kirk's crew.

A C64 version should be available in March, priced £14.99.