Demonstar

Demonstar (successor to the mild shareware hit Raptor) whisks us back to the flat, scrolling world of games' pleasant past. For those old enough to remember, it should prove to be a welcome diversion - but that's all. Waves of swooping aliens and sidefiring homing missiles arc par for the course, as are the obligatory end-of-level muthaships and occasional asteroid storms. For a ten-minute blast it's perfect entertainment. The sound is big and beefy, and the graphics are detailed without causing too much confusion - but play it for half an hour and you'll feel like you've been wearing onion spectacles - the viewing window is so tiny. You shouldn't have to switch resolution to enjoy a game, and doing so for Demonstar isn't worth the effort.