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Just what eager Commodore 64 owners have been pining for every since the machine's appearance... yes, a version of Space Invaders! What, it's been done before? I don't believe it!

"Relive those exciting and frustrating moments on (sic) the arcades," it says. But there seems to be something lacking in the translation of the game onto the micro... like speed, for one thing. Even the hardest of the five skill levels begins exceedingly slow, as if your laser base were gliding through treacle.

To be fair, Livewire has tried to incorporate just about every facility known to the games player. Apart from the five levels and the one- or two-player option, you can pause the game, switch the sound off and on (sound is adequate), enter your name in the Hall of Fame, use joystick or keyboard (define your own keys) and finally have a demonstration. Perhaps the game is so old most people will have forgotten how to play it?

You can tell the company is pretty desperate to know what to say about the game from reading the cassette insert. "User-definable operating key system", meaning you can choose which keys move you left and right, and "Zap your way to the stars!"

Your reviewer is pretty desperate to know what to say about it too, other than put it at the bottom of your list.