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Space is getting awfully nasty nowadays. It seems to be full of aliens all bent on destroying anyone in their path. In Starship Command you're in charge of a battle starship with the task of ridding space of these hostile elements. The only weapons you possess are your torpedoes and your skill. The skill consists of being able to manoeuvre your ship into a position where you can zap the other ships which are coming at you thick and fast.

You've got both short and long range scanners which show the enemies' positions as they approach. The position of your ship and the closer attackers are shown on the main screen. Your ship stays still in the middle of the display, the other ships appearing to move round it as you turn left and right in order to fire at them.

You've also got a rotation meter to tell you how fast you're turning and an indicator of the state of your energy banks. Should these banks fall to zero your defensive shields collapse and the aliens will destroy you. I did warn you that it's getting nasty out there.

It's not just the aliens you have to look out for, either. At the end of every mission you are assessed by your superiors. And their judgement can be worse for than anything the aliens might hand out. Even if you do well, all you are rewarded with are other, harder missions. I can't say that it's easy, but all the information you need is there before you on the various scanner displays.

The game seems to have everything. The graphics are superb, the instructions thorough and, once you get used to the way your ship stays still while the aliens move, the whole thing is enthralling.

EU