Space Giraffe

In 1994 Llamasoft founder and gaming legend Jeff Minter created space shoot-em-up Tempest 2000 and life was good. In August he created Space Giraffe and life stayed good. The difference between the two games? Not very much actually.

The premise is simple: slide a spaceship along 100 differently shaped frames and blast wave after wave of advancing X-shaped enemies. Frames are basic at first but later levels include disorienting corkscrews and zig zags. Throw in psychedelic backdrops and trippy techno music and the whole experience becomes euphoric as explosions blossom into flowers and strange shapes bounce around the screen.

For 400 points the game is a steal. As addictive as Geometry Wars but twice as daft so don't let the look of the game fool you: it's hard to figure out what you have to do at first but with a little patience players will see why this game is up there with Tetris in the addictiveness stakes. (Dave Cook)