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To mark the 30th anniversary of the classic Martin Walker game, Thalamus Digital have released a new and remastered version of Hunter's Moon - with Martin and Matt Gray both involved.

The boot menu can be accessed by holding down 'Commodore' as the machine is switched on/cartridge file started. This allows access to the original game just as it was in 1988, the new remastered version (with save option, multiple language support and new cinematic intro) and the trainer version (with infinite lives but no save option). There is also a separate level editor to create your own levels.

The new cinematic intro tells the story of a down-on-his luck space-pilot who manages to acquire a new shop - only to get caught in the event horizon of a black hole that sends him far from home. He must explore the star systems to find a way home. In each system there are multiple levels to complete. The aim is to find the four co-ordinates for the next system, obtained by collecting the starcells found in each level. At the start of the level a starcell will be flashing on the radar; collecting this before the time limit is up will award a coordinate (thus allowing a shortcut to the next level when four co-ordinates have been collected). Otherwise a level is complete when all the starcells in it have been safely collected. Collecting a starcell also offers a brief period of invulnerability.

Every level contains worker cells, which "draw" the shape of the level and repair damage. On later levels, the worker cells will also turn parts of the walls into shooter cells that fire bullets at the player's ships. Puzzle levels require the player to work out how to blast through walls to reach the starcells. Pressing 'RUN/STOP' and moving the joystick enters the pause mode menu. Here the Hunter craft can be resprayed one of four colours. There are also three different types of engine, offering slightly different controls that will suit different styles of play. Off-Duty Mode lets the player relax and play with the coordinates (more below). A limited number of shields are also available and can be activated from the pause menu.

Collecting the four co-ordinates allows the player to enter the bonus round. This has eight worker cells creating patterns and shooting at the player. Once all eight are eliminated, the co-ordinates are used to draw patterns on screen. These co-ordinates can be entered into 'Off-Duty' mode to recreate the same pattern.

The main menu also has some distinct options. Play can be for one or two players alternating. The starfield depth can be changed too. Normal Mode plays the levels in the original order, whereas Random Mode presents the same star systems but with random levels within each star system. The attract sequence will also display the current high scores and a demo of the game.

The original Hunter's Moon was a favourite of mine, and this remastered version is a superb update. The cinematic intro is incredible, with six short animated sequences that look like small videos brought to life on the C64. This is backed with a new piece of music by Matt Gray that merges beautifully into the original intro music. Matt's music remains a high point of the game too, complemented by Martin's highly unusual sound effects. Martin himself has been involved in the design of the Remastered version, adding new level and enemy types to increase the number of levels available. An even more incredible addition is the level editor. While at first glance it seems very complex, with the instructions at hand it will quickly become easier. Being able to save the game (in remastered mode) to the cartridge is a great new option too.

Although the first few levels are a clever introduction to the game, the difficulty does ramp up very quickly once the "puzzle" levels appear. There was some criticism of the fact that the digital download cannot be transferred easily, but that is a minor complaint - the physical cartridge will work on real hardware anyway. Although Random Mode (an idea borrowed from the later Martin Walker game Citadel) sounds good, in practice it can leave you stranded in a star system filled with very difficult levels.

Thalamus Digital starts off with an exceptional release, a superb update to a great game.