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A strange one this - but since we're in a bit of a Star Wars mode at the moment, just like Red 5 - it's going in.

Death Star Battle was released for the ZX Spectrum by Parker Software (who were famous for their version of QBert) in 1984. Neither of us ever played this game back in the day (I certainly can't remember it - I don't think many Speccy gamers can!)

Anyway - this game was more famous on the Atari 8-bit machines - and it looks like it didn't convert to the ZX Spectrum well.

Return of the Jedi: Death Star Battle put you at the helm of the Millennium Falcon in a quest to destroy the Galactic Empires most feared ultimate weapon, the Death Star.

First you had to survive the attacks of the Tie Interceptors as they pursued you. When you reached the Death Star you had to anticipate the seemingly 'random way' in which portals in the enemy field opened up (it's not good I can tell you). These portals allowed Tie Interceptors access to their base - thus providing you with a chance to penetrate the Death Star's defences.

Once you had penetrated the enemy shield you still had to contend with a heatseeking 'Death Ray' - sound really B movie eh?

ZX Spectrum Death Star Battles
Now you had to blast the Death Star with your pulse laser until you had cleared a route to the energy core - hitting that would blow the huge space station into a fearsome explosion which would send hundreds of blazing fireballs hurtling into space.

Now you needed 'Solo like' reflexes to avoid this debris as you made good your escape. This had to be done before the Death Star construction was completed - otherwise it was game over.

Every now and again Darth Vaders shuttlecraft would roam across the screen. If it hit you then you lost one of your five lives. It was possible to destroy it with a sustained barrage of lazer fire, but remember kid, don't get cocky.

Well... what can I say? I can't judge this game properly as I never ever played it back in the 80's. All I can say is playing it now was not enjoyable. The graphics are poor (and would have been at the time) and the gameplay is just plain odd. The 'seemingly random' appearance of the force field portals are awful - it's all about luck rather than judgement - and in my experience there's no such thing as luck...

Perhaps someone can remember this game. If so - please give us a comment or two! Perhaps you have downloaded it or even managed to play it online.

Please see our other (more in depth!) ZX Spectrum game reviews - all links are listed in alphabetical order. Cheers guys.

GENRE: Arcade game
RELEASE DATE: 1984
RELEASED BY: Parker Software
DEVELOPER(S): Les Fairbrother
PRICE: No idea