It is unfortunate but true that the ZX81 seems to have slipped from the minds of software authors who look at it with embarrassment and wish it would go away. If anyone were to suggest that more software should be written for the black-and-white, low-resolution machine the instigators would be regarded as mad and informed quietly that the ZX81 is no longer commercially viable.

That is to forget, however, that there are still thousands of users who want to be satisfied in terms of software and that their ranks are increasing every day. It is for those people who still hold the ZX81 in esteem that we look back at products which are still on the market and about which new owners may not know.

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The most prolific software house for the ZX81 which is still manufacturing for the market is New Generation. It has great pride in its products because it produced the first 3D game, 3D Monster Maze.

The game puts you into a three-dimensional maze, using conventional ZX81 graphics speeded with machine code. The effect is incredible and the program could be for a black-and-white Spectrum. It gives the effect of high-resolution graphics.

You are not alone in the maze, as you will find when you discover the footsteps which are plodding slowly towards you. If you are lucky you will lose the owner of those big feet, or he will lose you. If you are not so fortunate, you will see Tyrannosaurus Rex moving towards you along the corridor. At that point it might be a good idea to run - or you will be eaten!

Contrary to popular belief there is a way out of the labyrinth and when you find it you will be shown a pretty graphics display along with a "you got out of this one" message. The game can be made more difficult, but the initial playing level is suitable for beginners.

The only criticism of 3D Monster Maze is the long wait, in FAST mode, while the maze is set up. That is a time of seemingly unending boredom, but it is soon forgotten when play begins. 3D Monster Maze is essential for all owners of the 16K ZX81.

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Another famous name in the ZX81 market is Orwin Software. Michael Orwin, the compiler of a number of games tapes, appears to take a less active role in the company now but his ZX81 software is still selling well.

There are five cassettes in all but only the first takes the 1K ZX81 into account. It includes eleven programs, seven of which are in machine code. The good thing about the software is that the same games are recorded on both sides, but not in the same order. That means you can always reach a particular program quickly, as long as both sides will load.

The games include several old arcade favourites, such as Invaders, Planet Lander and Maze Of Death. They are all fast in action although, even with the ZX81 keyboard, they are easy to play.

The other programs on the cassette are also very inventive and include I Ching, a Chinese prediction program, Codebreak, which is self-explanatory, and an unusual program, Bouncing Letters. Cassette One costs £3.80 and is worth every penny.

The rest of the ZX81 cassettes from Orwin are for the 16K machine. One of the best is Cassette Four which contains eight games. All of them should be familiar as either arcade or traditional games but each is well-thought-out and the graphics are good for a ZX81.

Gunfight is the best game on Cassette Four so far as graphics are concerned. It pits you against a gunfighter you must kill in a shoot-out. The other obstacles in the duel to the death are two cacti and a wagon which moves continually up and down the screen. The computer is fast on the draw and you will need precision timing to survive.

ZX Scramble is another good arcade game in the package. It includes three stages in which you have to fight your way through the passages of alien subterranean caverns.

You gain points for destroying the aliens which fly at you and also for bombing the aliens which are on the floor of the cavern. You must, however, beware of the ceiling which will dip to meet you as you travel from left to right on the screen. Because of the speed at which your spacecraft travels, you are likely to be destroyed more by low-flying ceilings than by aliens.

Other games on the cassette include a 3D version of Noughts And Crosses, two invader-type programs, a version of Conway's Game Of Life and Snakebite, in which you have to avoid a poisonous reptile which wants to cut short your life. Cassette Four again provides value for money and costs £6.

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Another company which was to the fore of the ZX81 software boom was Quicksilva. It produced a remarkably good version of Defender which is still around, called Defenda. Unlike space invader games, your craft moves across a landscape from left to right on the screen, destroying all in its path or being destroyed by the aliens which drop bombs or crash kamikaze-style into your battleship.

Adjustments can be made to the program if your television set cannot keep pace with such a fast game and you will usually have to make some kind of adjustment to get rid of a screen display which might bend or flash.

The game is fast, furious and almost impossible to play. It should cater for all arcade addicts who still hanker for new versions of original arcade games. Defenda from Quicksilva costs £3.95.