Reviews

Beyond had released a couple of games previous to Psytron but, despite some slick packaging, they didn't look so good on screen and were rather lacking in depth. Such criticisms weren't going to be levelled at Psytron though, as it boasted some excellent bitmap graphics and a ferocious time management game based around the defence of a base under alien attack.

The individual elements are introduced one by one. You've got to first be adept at hunting down the alien droids in the base tunnels first. Next up is the skywatch mode; the centrepiece of the game where you can directly attack the alien spaceships with lasers and the powerful matter disrupter. Futher levels introduce damage control, and resource management via a supply ship. Finally, once you've qualified through all these, you're ready to take on the challenge of defending the base for as long as you can.

It's not the quickest starter, as you need to master the rather dull droid level first before you get much of a taste of the action, and with all the subtleties it's not going to appeal to fans of simple shoot 'em ups.

However, it's very much one of the best thinking man's games, designed to test your multi-tasking skills, as well as your trigger finger. Although it doesn't deliver immediate thrills, it's worth spending a bit of time getting into.