Chess pieces moves in new ways in this action-packed game from Lyn Davies

You have been kidnapped by the Black Acorn - an interdimensional being who intends to rule the universe. His plan is to shanghai innocent people and convert them into pawns to serve in his Black Guards.

But you have escaped and lcated the ion panels which supply the whole of his empire with power. Each cell of the panels has a black activator which you can short circuit by landing on it.

Clear each panel three times and you'll move on to the next even harder one. And you'll find the guards even faster, so take care.

To help you in your quest you can use your stolen Nova device. By pressing the Spacebar you'll draw a bolt of energy from nearby stars. This will replenish your power and repel any guards.

However, Nova will only function four times, so use it with care. Leaving the board will cause your Gyro Pak to operate, so if you're quick, you can return. This will reduce your energy, as will near proximity to one of the power-sapping guards.

If the energy bar reaches zero your mission is ended. Can you succeed? Type in the listing and find out!

Let Darren Bradley beam you up for a beginner's guide to the galaxy

Here's a package designed to aid budding young astronomers everywhere. With its unique ability to manipulate information, you can study the stars from the comfort of your armchair.

All the information in the program has been compiled from various books and charts available to anyone, but it is now presented in a much clearer and understandable way. It's an ideal introduction to the planets in our solar system.

The program consists of various sections, each giving details information on the nine known planets in the system of Sol. You can just browse around all the information as you wish.

Using the routine you can easily compare the volumes of and measure the distance between any two planets. It's just as easy to display the orbital period in eight time phases and also give general background information on the selected body.

So type in the listing and select a planet from the chart displayed. The ease of use and versatility of the software makes it a pleasure to star-gaze and your knowledge of the planets will quickly increase. It's a super package for anyone with an interest in the world that lies beyond your sitting room.

Darren Bradley moves a classic game from paper to the screen

GUNBOAT is a micro version of the popular pastime Battleships, the nautical game of skill and strategy for two players. Each is an admiral of fleets of warships, engaged in a battle of mammoth proportions.

Each fleet consists of five ships, which vary in size and thus in the number of direct hits required to sink them. Once the micro has initialised the screen, player two will be asked to leave the room, while player one's fleet is established.

The ships are then erased from the screen and the process is repeated for player two. The battle now starts.

Shots are fired by entering the coordinates of the target square and pressing RETURN. Shots are alternated until one player is annihilated.

Full instructions - including the number of ships you have and their sizes - are contained in the program. So type it in and issue your orders.