Alien 8

On a dying planet in a distant galaxy, the last of the guardians store all of their libraries, records and knowledge on a single starship together with cryogenically preserved members of their race. A single robot, "Alien 8" is tasked with keeping these people alive.

Taking on the role of the "cybot" Alien 8, the player must traverse a large starship in order to ensure that the cryogenic life support system that preserves the biological crew is kept activated. The core of this system is a series of geometrically-shaped circuits. These have been removed by invading aliens, and distributed around the starship. By collecting these circuits and returning them to their proper locations before the starship reaches its destination, Alien 8 will successfully satisfy its programming. Failure results in violent reprogramming.

As with Knight Lore, the environment of Alien 8 takes the form of a series of isometric flip-screen rooms (which trace the outline of a large starship). These are filled with platforms (including some that move), moveable objects, static hazards and dangerous aliens. The latter take the form of strange, sparkling life-forms (similar to Knight Lore), mouse-Dalek hybrids and mindless, but fast-moving, clockwork mice. As well as executing well-timed manoeuvres and jumps, inventive players can use starship props to block or defend themselves. Another feature is the use of remote controlled drones, which can be directed by the Alien 8 into inaccessible or dangerous areas.

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