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"Health warning: Don't mess with Novenia" was the message written on the side of the deadly Sentinels that destroyed anything that threatened the peace-loving people on the planet below.

The invading Egrons learnt this to their cost as they lost countless ships to the fleet mangling defences. If the Sentinels didn't like the look of something, that something rapidly became scrap.

Unfortunately, the peace-loving Novenians were also conservationists and modified the Sentinels to let the Starglider birds migrate without being fried in the process. So when the Egrons sent a Starglider-shaped fleet to attack Novenia, the Sentinels let them in.

Now you play two teenage heroes who have found a prototype AGAV (Airborne Ground Attack Vehicle) and set off to defeat the Egrons who now use Novenia's defences against you!

The full plot that leads to this improbable situation is described in a 64-page novella that accompanies the tape containing both 48K and 128K versions, as well as a playguide that introduces the AGAV's controls, a keyguide to show you which buttons to use and poster of your AGAV. Not bad, even for £14.95! That's twice the average cost of a Spectrum game, but Starglider is no ordinary game.

Graphically it will be compared to Elite as it features the same 3D vector line graphics that represent the tans, walker, stompers, missile launchers and Stargliders of the defence forces that now home-in on you.

Your mission is simply to get them before they get you.

There's no great strategic aim to the game except to amass as many points as possible and so wreak revenge on the dreaded Ergons.

At first you'll tackle the light tanks that trundle across the planet's surface with your "Sapphire II" quadpulse laser, but at only 20 points each you'll soon be looking for bigger prey but since even these tans fire ship-wrecking missiles they must be taken seriously.

Using your scanner set in the middle of your control panel you can track the movement and position of the enemy defences. After a few practice missions, you'll be able to take on the missile launchers that greet you with a hail of homing missiles, the Star Wars inspired walkers and stomping stompers that can only be destroyed by a well-guided missile and the Stargliders that fly with a graceful flap of their mechanical wings and can deliver a killing laser bolt.

All this takes its toll on your fuel, laser power, shields and meagre missile supply but luckily you can use some of the planet's installations. Docking with an Alliance space station repair silo will bring a welcome breather as well as repairs and even a special mission. To refuel you must fly at low level between the twin towers of the plasma energy station and run along its lines and pull out when you reach the third single tower and you will have absorbed enough energy to continue your game.

Starglider was written for Rainbird by 3D experts, Realtime Software (3D Starstrike) and it's their best game yet. It was originally released on the Atari ST which is almost identical to the 128K Spectrum version with its impressive music and digitised speech! The 48K version has all the same action-packed gameplay but without these added features. A must for all Spectrum owners.