When Evil Cosmic Fanatics Inc. put in an order for six dozen 'rather large' spaceships, you can bet on trouble. And so they have done in Stellar Assault, a spacey struggle with minimum plot and frills while also not-quite-lacking in the action department.

Having changed names more times than Julia Roberts (initially the suggestive Bullet Fighters, the the subtle Shadow Squadron) Stellar Assault works as a showcase for the 32X, a unit specifically designed for 3D games, and as an object lesson in the weaknesses of the seductive Virtua Star Wars, which ultimately turned out to be a little disappointing. A bit like copping off with a girl who looks like a Goddess, but has the brain of a pork pie.

Star Wars inspired (Both movie and game) blaster, with space furniture reminiscent of Battlestar Galactica.

Destroy the huge armada of alien forces with your puny fighters.

Each time you play, either successfully or dismally, your performance will be recorded. This may be accessed through the trace mode, or by watching the game's demo. In true "How Did They Do That?" fashion, the 32X manages to switch camera angles and create a space movie out of your efforts. Whilst playing, pressing the joypad's Mode button gives you another (and more playable) virtual perspective.

You're not quite the last Starfighter, you're the last two. HQ gives you a choice of two ships: a cosy one-seater called Feather One or the spacious dual-berth Feather Two. Legroom isn't the only difference between them. A bit like choosing CD or sunroof or airbags, you select on the basis of preferred features:

1. Fast firing dual positioned lasers.
2. Separate shield and fuel energy.
3. Multi-targetting homing missiles.
4. Refuelling between each level.
5. Additional force-field shielding device.

1. Powerful single laser.
2. Energy reserve recharges shield after each level.
3. Extra resistant shield.
4. Concentrated smart bomb.
5. Optional auto-pilot.

Stellar Assault turns out to be one of the most original variations on the space shoot-'em-up for yonks. The idea of attacking huge ships, whilst having the freedom to navigate is novel, and the implementation is pretty impressive.

The Feathers handle effortlessly and their weapons are quite neat, too. Each of the big ships has weaker areas, so there's a strategic element to completing each level whilst taking the least damage.

Although the graphics appear a bit simplistic and Toytown next to Star Wars, they move far more smoothly and realistically. The other presentational features and options, especially the Trace Mode just add to the package, although I felt some of the stages were a little long-winded and took too long to complete.

Whilst Star Wars showed off the 32X's polygon routines, only after prolonged play did its limited nature become apparent. With Stellar Assault, Sega have come up trumps, producing a game which looks stunning and offers a huge world for the player to explore - none of that "pre-determined route" stuff here.

Until the advent of such 32-bit machines, software houses' promises of 3D space dogfights have never lived up to the hype. With Stellar however, the enemy ships whizz about in a style reminiscent of the Star Wars movies, and locking on and blowing them away proves both fun and satisfying.

The missions are as varied as possible, and although the lasting appeal may be questionable, there's enough here to warrant return visits every now and then.

Graphics 89%
P. Huge imaginative polygon spacecraft, explosions and asteroids.
N. A simplistic feel to graphics overall.

Animation 90%
P. Wonderful sense of speed and movement, and zippy enemies.
N. No animation on the enemy craft.

Music 74%
N. The music for each level is generally dull and non-descript.

Effects 86%
P. The effects are far more atmospheric than the music. Thunderous explosions and screeching lasers.

Playability 90%
P. Gripping for its novel approach and excellent control.
N. Some stages go off the boil by being too long.

Lastability 84%
P. Very difficult on Hrad with the first craft.
N. Boredom with the game environment will set in after a while.

Overall 80%
One of those rare games that both looks impressive and is satisfying to play. It's a blast.