In this game you are part warrior, part astronaut and part daredevil - a Beamrider. You are in control of a ship that can fire laser lariats and launch torpedoes. The mission of your ship is to clear the Restrictor Shield, 99 sectors deep, that is surrounding the Earth. There are fifteen enemy saucers in each sector - they must all be destroyed before you can enter the next sector.

When all fifteen white enemy saucers have been destroyed in a sector, their Sentinel ship will be defenceless and will cruise across the top of the beams. Only a torpedo can destroy it. Laser lariats are only effective against certain invaders. Torpedoes will destroy the first object they meet on a beam, but, the bad news is that you are only given three torpedoes per sector.

Your ship has to contend with a collection of aliens, including Brown Space Debris, Green Bounce Craft and Red Zig Bombs.

Occasionally yellow rejuvenators will float through the beam matrix. If you allow one of these to land on your deck it will add a bonus ship to your fleet. If you shoot one by mistake it will turn red from the heated blast and if your ship is in its way the wreckage will destroy you.

Whenever your ship is destroyed or when you complete a sector you will return via hyperspace to the Space Station. when you are ready to continue, press any button on the controller disc and the hatch doors will open. Points are scored, of course, by destroying the saucers, ships and Sector Sentinel. You start with three ships in your fleet.

With the cartridge you also receive an instruction booklet, which includes tips on how to become a successful Beamrider, and two game overlays which can be slipped into the hand controllers.

I'm afraid this is one of those games where the instruction manual makes it sound more exciting than it actually is. Only about two thirds of the TV screen is filled, which, in my mind, is a waste of space. The only unusual aspect of this game is that, instead of the conventional straightforward laser beams, your ship fires a kind of 'laser boomerang'.