Elite is an example of gaming at its best. It's a game you can play literally for a lifetime, and yet comes on only one floppy disk - amazing when you think that most modern releases are at least three times as big and nowhere near as captivating.

David Braben and lan Bell's classic space trading game has appeared on almost every format, from the humble BBC Micros to the SNES, and with the exception of the odd solid polygon on some machines, each version has remained faithful to the original, giving some indication of how flawless its concept is.

The idea is simple. Starting off as a young and impressionable Space Cadet, your job is to hurtle forward into unchartered territory and, well,.. 'exist'. It's a truly, truly open-ended game: you can behave exactly how you like; be a good boy and simply ferry cargo from port to port, or a bit of a bugger and hang around outside space stations blowing other ships away - just for fun, of course. Money can be earned by carrying out tasks for a variety of characters, and your actions will affect your relationship with the super-hard Space Police.

Okay, so it's not a visually impressive game, but that's by no means a bad thing as your imagination fills in what the graphics don't. And this distinct lack of aesthetic wizardry means that the action is fast and furious - essential in such a fast-paced blaster (oh yessir, it can be at times).

Elite is as playable as it always has been. It won't appeal to you 'younger' gameplayers who expect more in terms of execution and innovation, but if you scratch beneath the surface you'll be hooked (That is, unquestionably, the finest mixed-metaphor in this issue, Matt. Well lone, matey - Hazza.). [MB]