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David Braben and Ian Bell's Elite is possibly the most famous and popular computer game ever written - in Britain at least. The original BBC B program soon spawned versions for the other 8-bit micros, and the C64 version has been in and out of the charts ever since it was released way back in the first half of 1985.

In those days, when I was still a gamesplaying civilian, I was one of the many thousands who trooped out and bought Elite - and I played it to death (well, I got as far as 'Deadly' anyway). News of a version for the 16-bit machines came then as a source of some interest. True to form, Firebird have taken their sweet time over it but, better late than never, Elite has arrived on the Amiga.

For those unfamiliar with the game, it's a space combat/trading simulation displayed using 3D vector graphics. Starting with nothing more than a standard Mk III Cobra ship, the player is launched into the wild black yonder in order to trade goods between planets (or rather, between their orbiting space stations), while blasting anyone who gets in his way. As money is earned by buying and selling a number of commodities (food, computers, textiles and so on) the player can equip his ship with all manner of bolt-on goodies, ranging from powerful lasers, to homing missiles, an automatic docking computer and the all-important escape pod.

As the player's Cobra becomes the ultimate hard machine, he can then start trading with the more dangerous systems, which inevitably means falling foul of hordes of vicious space pirates; attack other traders and steal their cargo, which draws the attention of hordes of vicious police craft; and also indulge in running some profitable contraband, which means having to fend off both greedy space pirates and nosey space police. As more and more 'kills' are notched up, so the player's rating progresses from 'Harmless' to the supreme accolade of 'Elite' - which is no mean feat, by the way. Fortunately, the Amiga game features both disk and RAM save options.

With eight galaxies and a total of around 2,000 systems to visit, potential Elitists aren't short of places to go. And while there's plenty of hyperspacing, docking, launching and fruitless journeys to be endured, there are also one or two surprises to be discovered along the way, adding some variety and incentive to the task in hand (watch out for secret missions, Targoids and Tribbles...)

My first impression of Amiga Elite was of disappointment. Apart from being filled-in, and having the dubious addition of some gaudy static graphics, the game hasn't progressed any since the 32K BBC program of 1984. There's so much you could do with the game on a 16-bit machine, yet its potential remains untapped.

However, it's not all doom and gloom: this is without doubt, the best version of the game to appear so far, and is even more entertaining than its predecessors. Dogfighting - which always suffered because of the lousy update on the C64 - is now smooth, colourful and enhanced by a pleasing thud when the lasers hit home. It's also the most appealing aspect of the game, since trading does become a (necessary) chore after a while. Mind you, as Ford Prefect might say, the Cobra Mk III still looks like a fish and steers like a cow!

I suppose the purists would say (in Ben Elton-style pseud voice), "But you can't change Elite - it's a classic!" Well, we'er not really on about some bit of coloured rag in the Louvre, are we? It's only a game after all, and anyone who has already had a taste of the action (that should include most of you) might be advised to wait for Gremlin's Federation Of Free Traders to appear before going for a second helping.