Product Reviews

The old ones are the best, or so they say. But while this adage may be debatable in everyday life - that two-week-old milk in the fridge is generally best avoided - it can hold true for computer games. First released in 1984, Elite brought 3D interstellar combat and trading in an enormous universe to the BBC micro, a computer that had previously only seen simple 2D arcade-style games and text-based adventures. X2: The Threat is the latest in a long line of titles that have attempted to update Elite's classic gameplay for today's computers.

As in Elite, X2 starts off with your character being given a small spaceship and a little money to trade with. Unlike Elite, there is a plot to follow if you wish, but this isn't up to

The cosmos created for X2 is beautiful to behold. Rather than consisting of an endless black void, the X2 universe is filled with spectacular starfields, nebulae and planets. The space stations and spacecraft that populate it are beautifully designed, too, with different races building craft in their own individual style.

Even more dazzling than these graphics is the level of depth that has been programmed into X2. The game can be played in many ways - you can follow the plotline, build a career as a trader, explore the universe or simply take to destroying any ship that crosses your path - but whichever direction you follow, the scope and complexity of the options available are dazzling. We'd need pages and pages to describe them all.

Put simply, this is the first game since 1984 to recapture the scope and brilliance of Elite. X2 isn't an easy game to pick up, but it's even harder to put down. If you want a game to get lost in for a few weeks, months or more, X2 will be perfect.