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After 20 years in space the Orion has almost completed its task of galaxy-mapping. Only one small nebula remains - but while making the intergalactic jump there the explorer ship is taken over by strange strange mechanical beings, the Zimen.

I an attempt to remove these parasites, you control four robots (Captain Slog, Plot the navigator, Engineer Knut and Able Spaceman Bodd) which you use one at a time.

Touching control panels with a robot can give access to code screens; decoded, these open matter-transmitters and lifts. This way the Orion's crew can move through the ship and closer to their ultimate goal: locking into the Bridge Computer. When all four have done this the Orion is safe.

The robots start in different parts of the ship. Some have a relatively easy passage through the maze of 230 rooms, using automatically-opening doors, but others are temporarily trapped in their rooms.

The robots limited energy is quickly drained by contact with the Zimen, who materialise suddenly in the Orion's passageways with deadly persistence. These aliens corner the outnumbered robot crew, who must use all their speed and agility to avoid energy-draining embraces. Replenishment points help, of course.

To counterattack the Zimen, your robots can unleash bouncing bombs, gaining points when the sinister aliens are exploded. But remember the object isn't destruction - you must reach the Bridge

Joysticks: Cursor. Kempston, Sinclair
Graphics: unexciting, monochromatic, 3-D
Sound: bouncy title-screen music, otherwise the usual spot FX

'Right from my first go, I didn't enjoy The Fifth Quadrant. The graphics move very smoothly, but the characters themselves are unattractive and the perspective is a bit messy. And The Fifth Quadrant is unplayable and unaddictive. It might have made an average budget game.'

'The only aspect of The Fifth Quadrant that I really like is the opportunity to go back and forth among four characters, which adds variety to the background and tasks. The rest of the package is mundane. The graphics have the odd interesting feature but they're not stunning, and though the title-screen sound is very good the game sound is limited to boring spot FX. The Fifth Quadrant is easy to get into, but the lack of serious action soon makes it dull.'