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The warfiends of Zzyax - not apparently noted for their friendliness - are intent on taking you apart. Faced with such awesome opposition, I had little choice but to attempt valour and fight them off.

There are 32 levels to clear before mankind is safe from the beasts. You can start as high as level 15, but you need to fight your way through to get any higher.

The screen has two axes on it and your cannons travel along each. In the solo mode, the joystick moves both, but they can move independently - if you can master it. Team up and you can play as a pair.

Your cannons will fire only when they are opposite a notch on the track, a skill which needs quite a bit of practice. A training mode is available to help.

The meanies at first travel down in nice neat rows, but they soon degenerate into random order. I was relieved to find they don't fire back at you but you're kept busy trying to keep the screen clear.

When enemies reach your cannon track, they'll change direction and start after you. Then you have two methods of killing them: firing an electrobolt which clears a path (you're immune to that of course) or firing diagonal bursts from your cannon, from the other track.

Even with practice, your cannons can be wiped out if you're not careful. Playing as a pair makes the task easier, but there's likely to be cross words when you wipe out your comrade.

The higher skill levels had another terror in store. The aliens move quicker and little flashing pods appear. I thought that this was some kind of bonus, but peppering it with enough bullets to sink any normal alien, the thing split into two and destroyed both my cannons. Back to the instructions to discover that the pods always stop opposite the cannons and you must move away fast.

The diagonal firing method is the secret to survival, especially as your electro bolts are limited to four per game.

A rather brief high-score chart is offered, and there's only room for the top player.

Good graphics and sound combined with attractive presentation make this a first rate game. It's a pleasant change to be able to team up with someone in a shoot-'em down game.