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Fifth Quadrant is based on an old and tired theme. It mixes Aliens with the standard Knight Lore qualities. In other words, you have a choice of four robots, each one in a different location.

You start as Slog, the captain and pilot of the ship. Slog is annoyed that his old compu-brain is slower than the other robots. You can swap roles among Slog, Plot the ship's navigator, Knut the engineer, and Bodd. (What a name! I often wish I had been christened Bodd!) Bodd is a bit of a coward and, to be blunt, pretty thick - the Lofty of the spaceship.

Your mission is to use each of the four robots to rid the ship of the intruding Zimen. You do this by freeing each robot and logging it into the bridge computer. (What's Bridge got to do with it? This is no time for games!)

The Zimen appear in most rooms and can be zapped by the robots if they're carrying a weapon. You can access various pieces of instrumentation replenishing energy, for ex-ample, or activating a computer display. This is where you'll need to decipher the alien language - not an easy task.

Graphics are detailed but lifeless and uninspiring. Sound is reminiscent of the old Vespas. Don't expect to be stunned by anything, but you will find plenty to keep you interested. The biggest annoyance is the speed of the robots - a bit too hard to control at times.

Free Slog.

I found Fifth Quadrant boring at first, just charging around trying to find something interesting and trying to get those wretched Zimen off my back. However, as you discover things like the wall consoles and energy-replenishing points, it gets better. You'll certainly have to map it to get anywhere, and there will be plenty of tasks to keep you going.

No problems here.

Graphics 62%
P. Intricate robot designs.
N. Drab colours.

Sonics 48%
P. A few zappy effects.

Grab Factor 57%
P. Slog is less confined than the rest and thus lets you see some of the ship
N. Not easy to get into.

Staying Power 65%
P. Difficult mission to complete.
P. Tasks and multiple characters keep things interesting.

Overall 60%
N. I'd have preferred it in the budget range.