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Picture a quadruped robot with twin laser cannons as it embarks on a journey beyond space itself. This trip was our intrepid Editor's secret fantasy - he went, he saw and he's here to tell you all about it

The "caring" '90s have had quite an effect on ST software and Ork is a case in point. Rather than opt for a spot of mindless galaxy-stomping material, Psygnosis have chosen a spot of mindless galaxy-protecting plot material.

You're a member of Heyadahl, a race which prefers to tend its vegetable plots and water its carefully selected houseplants than indulge in scraps with other races. Unfortunately, as a result of this peacability, the Heyadahl people get picked on a lot; they have learned it is necessary to fight back. To this end, they have developed some brilliant battle cruisers and trained some excellent crews to man them. Armed with only a joystick you enter the fray, completely unmoved by the plot which is really just excess baggage.

Psygnosis games are always immediately recognisable. They have very tasty graphics, and, nine times out of ten, worthwhile sampled music and sound effects, too. They usually have a long-winded intro sequence with some suitable animation and an extremely fantastic plot. Ork has all these elements bar the intro sequence.

This is a platform game with a puzzle element. Each level consists of a task for you to complete. As you make your way around a series of platforms you have to pick up useful items, overcome obstacles and blast interlopers. When you reach the end of the level you're rewarded with a few points.

Your Orkian character is a fairly clumsy chap, so you have to be precise with your joystick movements. He can't duck, he's not very quick and he sustains damage very easily. All of this means that you've got to be on your toes the whole time - energy levels soon start to look threatened with so many aliens flitting or stomping around.

The puzzles are of the find-key-get-gold variety. To pre-empt all the calls of desperation they are likely to receive, Psygnosis have included the complete solution with the game - so, you can either battle through with your teeth fully gritted, or... you can cheat without bothering to try at all.

It's the combination of puzzle and alien attack waves which makes Ork so difficult. It's incredibly reminiscent of the Killing Game Show, right down to the fact that the character you control is a gun-toting quadruped. The only major difference between the two games is that Ork has lots of greenery while Killing Game Show is set in a technodrome with metallic backgrounds.

Of course, the amazing similarity between the two games isn't going to create too many of a problem if you happen to like the Killing Game Show, but it's a bit cynical of Psygnosis to release them both when they have such painfully similar plot lines.

The single most important factor in any game is how addictive you find it - if it leaves you uninspired, then you're not going to bother with it again. Ork is a semi-addictive game - brilliant if you're a hardened game-player who relishes a major challenge, but deadly if you like to feel that you're going to get somewhere.

Technically, you can't fault this game. It has sumptuous graphics, bottom-wobbling sound and great scrolling, but for some reason, it feels strangely empty and leaves you feeling unfulfilled. There are some great games available for your ST, but Ork isn't one of them.