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What exactly the word 'Volfied' means I've no idea - and there's no scenario whatsoever - but it's one of those ever-so-simple games that somehow keeps you glued to the screen.

Each of the sixteen levels consists of a single screen filled with little aliens and one big 'mother' baddie. These can't hurt your tiny Scanner ship as it safely zips around the green shield line which forms the play area perimeter.

Great, you can just sit there and blast them to smithereens. One problem: you haven't got any weapons! No, the only way to destroy aliens is to cut them off from the big baddie. This is achieved by moving off the shield line and using your laser cutter to draw a line to lop off a section of the play area, destroying any small aliens inside it and collecting any enclosed power-ups.

You must be very careful though. Colliding with any alien results in instant loss of life. Also, if an alien hits your cutting line, it sends a fast-moving pulse along it - you must return to the safety of the shield line before the pulse reaches you!

Another problem with staying on the shield line is that its energy eventually runs out, leaving you unprotected. However, unless you're very slow, this 'time limit' usually doesn't come into play.

Levels are completed by cutting off a set percentage of the play area. On early levels this is a relatively easy 80%, but later levels require 90% or even 95% - requiring you to get very close to the big alien with little room to manoeuvre. This is especially difficult if there are still any small aliens left, so it's a good idea to get rid of these before going for the final kill.

Even on the easier levels, you may want to make a risky final cut to get a high percentage to earn bonus points - up to 500,000 for 99.9%! A 1,000,000-point bonus can be earned by completing a level with just one cut - a suitably difficult task.

Volfied may be based on an ancient concept, but it still plays well enough. Good strategy is needed to isolate the little aliens, so you've only got the big one when you get down to a very small area. Otherwise, you'll have to make very risky excursions from the outside, cutting off as little as 0.1% at a time!

The special icons certainly come in useful, although the 'Crash' one (used to smash into small aliens) is a bit risky to use as you never know when it's about to run out! The difficulty level is set just about right with some fairly easy introductory levels (apart from the tricky first level) gradually increasing in difficulty to some real toughies later on. Nevertheless, with practice I don't think it should take too long to complete - 16 single-screen levels isn't a lot. Compulsive fun while it lasts, though.

1. Round 1:
   A long 'snake' that curls around when it reaches the perimeter. Fast-moving but doesn't shoot.
2. Round 2:
   Diamond shape, moving around randomly, stopping to shoot four deadly spikes.
3. Round 3:
   Fly jumps around, shooting lethal balls.
4. Round 4:
   A big hand which shoots lots of balls.
5. Round 5:
   Big ladybird, shooting the odd ball but never stopping.
6. Round 6:
   Insect-like thingie which shoots four balls.
7. Round 7:
   Another fly, shooting lots of balls.
8. Round 8:
   Spinning spiral, stopping to shoot eight balls.
9. Round 9:
   No big alien here, just lots of rotating rods. One of these occasionally spits out balls - this is the one you must isolate.
10. Round 10:
    Crab, shooting six balls.
11. Round 11:
    Slow-moving snail.
12. Round 12:
    A face that fires slowly but moves fast.
13. Round 13:
    Butterfly-like mutant. In this and the next round you must eliminate 90% of the play area.
14. Round 14:
    Another snake, but a bit trickier.
15. Round 15:
    Another spinner which stops to fire. However, on this and the next level you must chop off 95% of the area!

As C64 conversions go, this is first class with top-notch graphics and all the levels crammed into a single load. The various power-ups add some variety to the gameplay, as do the imaginative monsters which include a nice swirling mechanoid snake, a beetle and missile-firing robot.

Completing levels gives a satisfying score-totting-up sequence and it's good fun trying to carve massive sections out of the game area.

However, sixteen levels aren't that many and, by simply nibbling away at the borders, you can complete the game relatively easily. Volfied is a great conversion of a unique game-style and is good fun for a while, but it's still fairly simple and rather overpriced considering the limited lastability.

Presentation 76%
Nice intro load, then game proper is a single load including a mini start-up sequence, plus good high score table.

Graphics 78%
Good backdrops and some varied creatures all moving around quite swiftly.

Sound 70%
Good intro tune with incomprehensible sampled speech. Adequate in-game jingles and FX.

Hookability 78%
Relatively simple gameplay is instantly addictive, even though the first level is one of the toughest in the game.

Lastability 69%
Fifteen levels aren't that much and by nibblin' the game can be finished fairly simple.

Overall 77%
A first-class conversion of an enjoyable coin-op.