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The good thing about the Commodore 64 is that an arcade game can be faithfully transferred to the machine without loss in quality of graphics. Stix is just one example where the pleasure of playing an arcade quality game from your own armchair is within the bounds of possibility.

In this game, the Stix is a bundle of energy which is trapped in hyperspace. You must harness the evil powers of the Stix by constructing (drawing) forcefields within the hypersquare and so contain it.

Once you have boxed in more than 75 per cent of the hypersquare, you go on to the next level where the Stix is a little more active in trying to break out.

The hazards in drawing the force fields are that you must not allow the Stix to touch the forcefield you are drawing, nor must you pause drawing or else the field will be destroyed by a power ripple.

There are also a couple of particles which travel around the inside of the forcefield perimeter you are drawing, and if they collide with you, a nuclear explosion will occur.

The graphics are tremendous in Stix, with the Stix travelling in a very smooth manner. Four-directional control is achieved by using either joystick or keyboard, and each section is coloured as it is 'boxed in'.

Stix is a challenging game that's well worth looking at.