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There's no excuse for any computer gamer being without this classic strategic shoot-'em-up now the C64 version is out on the streets.

Pete Cooke's original game has been translated to the C64 by one John Twiddy - and he's done a brilliant job!

Tau Ceti, one of our G-type stars colonised by Earthlings in the year 2050, has been decimated by a vicious plague called Enche's Syndrome. The few remaining colonists have fled.

When a cure is discovered, the decision is taken to recolonize Tau Ceti. The first expedition, however, finds a malfunctioning defence system, damaged by a huge meteor and is destroyed.

You volunteer to go alone in an armed ground skimmer to return the defence system to normal operation. Your task is to search the devasted cities of Tau Ceti and collect the necessary hardware to shut down the massive fusion reactor in Centralis that fueled the planet in order to shut down the malfunctioning defence systems.

The defenders come in the shape of flying saucer craft called Hunters - of varying firepower and vulnerability. There are also things called spheres - like the Rovers in The Prisoner TV series. All are extremely unfriendly and potentially lethal.

On loading you see a view of the skimmer's instrument panel. The screen is divided into three areas. The large window on the left is your viewscreen, below that is a long blue area. This is your contact with the Skimmer's powerful computer. At the right of the screen is an information screen which includes a compass and real-time clock along with a message showing the direction of the view selected, the city you are in and the ship's flight status. Below that is the scanner which gives a plan view of your surroundings, some smaller windows give other info.

One shows speed, shield energy, fuel remaining, laser temperature and height.

The Skimmer operates in two modes, flight mode and ground mode. In flight mode control of the program is via single keys or a joystick.

In ground mode, you are in direct communication with the skimmer's computer via the computer window. You see the message "Type help or some other command" in the computer window.

Type HELP and the commands you can use are listed.

The MAP command enables you to see where you are - and where you can travel to. Each city is connected by a series of "jump pads" which enable you to take your Skimmer from city to city. The map shows you these routes. Moving a cursor over the name of the city and hitting the fire button enables you to get a readout of the city's status.

Unlike the Amstrad and Spectrum versions, the C64 game has a few graphic frills - like different buildings, flashing "lights" and solid-looking structures.

Tau Ceti is simply brilliant in all its incarnations - buy it!