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Stuck out on the edge of System 7, Colian was not the most hospitable of places, but it did have one of the richest deposits of rare minerals in the galaxy.

Foremost amongst these are Detonite, a powerful explosive, Quaza, an energy-giving crystal useful for regenerating molecular structures, Zenite, a metalic ore good at storing magnetic fields, and Aluma, the hardest metal known to man - ideal for the production of weapons.

Ten mining colonies were set up to exploit Colian's mineral deposits. Each had its own mines, dumps, stores and resource centres inter-linked by a complex network of shuttles, to transport minerals between the various installations within each colony and between colonies.

Everything worked like clockwork until one day... it happened.

Out there is stationary orbit was an Empire Mothership, the enemy's most potent fighting machine. Missile attacks quickly took out Colian's defences, and the colonies waited for the end to come.

But come it didn't, for the enemy fully intended to keep the colonies producing, but now it was for the production of components for the most awesome of weapons - Terrorpod Fighting Machines. These components were to be taken back up to the mothership, for final assembly off the planet surface.

Your mission is to discover the secrets of Terrorpod manufacture, by obtaining components. You start with a Defence Strategy Vehicle (DSV), a small trading drover, and an incomplete map of the area.

Everything was OK for a while. You kept a low profile, trading a little here and there, top build up your mineral supply. Then the Mothership detected you and the enemy's strategy changed immediately. Now they were intent only on the destruction of every colony on Colian, together with the secrets they held.

To succeed in Terrorpods, you will need to map all ten colonies, and gain an understanding as to how to use the many and varied game features, as well as how the various installations inter-relate.

To help you get started, Psygnosis has supplied a map with the game, with one of the ten colonies already marked, showing the shuttle routes between each installation.

Once you know where everything is on Colian, you must then become a master of trade, learning where different minerals are considered valuable or cheap.

Combine this aspect of the game with the requirement for fast reactions when avoiding or dishing out missile fire, and quick thinking when working out what to do next, and you have a game that will not be cracked overnight.

Congratulations are due to Psygnosis. In the past these games have been pretty but somehow lacked that vital playability. With Terrapods, everything has come right.