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Mogul Software are claiming a "unique first'' in the shape of their new release for the 64 called Zeta 7. The company say they have acquired the rights to the computer game before it makes its debut in US arcades. The man behind Zeta 7 is Mike Wacker who was also responsible for Fire Ant and Annihilator.

The version for the C64 will be available in August - the arcade version won't be around until the autumn. The game asks you to protect a Zeta class defence sphere, which looks suspiciously like the Death Star from the Star Wars epics. Armed only with a solar powered Positron Accelerator, an orbiting defence pod, you must fight off wave after wave of 'orrible aliens.

You can rotate the pod using your joystick but, after you've managed to destroy a squadron of alien fighters, your automatic sensors take over and lock on to the next wave of attackers.

The alien ships fire high energy plasma bolts at your pod. You can only take so much damage before you have to get out - so you have to keep an eye on the status reports at the bottom of the screen. These give you an idea of the status of the pod - whether it's about to blow up or not - and the status of the Zeta base. As well as attacking your base, the fighters also attack the Zeta base. You could lose the game because you have failed to defend it properly!

Zeta 7 looks very pretty. The graphics are great and the sound effects are good too. However, when you come down to it, Zeta 7 is a pretty basic shoot-'em-up, which is a real shame as the programmer has put a lot of effort into presentation. There's an animated intro screen showing the alien ships taking off to attack the Zeta base, a demo mode and comprehensive instructions.

But all you have to do once you press the start button is blast away at the aliens and, after a while, I found that a bit dull - despite the fact that varying numbers of alien ships come at you as you go through the game.

The destruction sequence of the Zeta 7 base when you fail to defend it properly is really nice too. But great graphics don't make a playable game.

It's a game you can never win. Eventually those aliens will wipe you out come what may. So I'd like to see either a few bonus points for staying alive for a set period of time or perhaps another screen for these gamesters who manage to fight off the alien attackers.

Zeta 7 is well worth taking a look at if you have a C64 - but I don't reckon it has that all-important lasting appeal.