Starglider

Starglider is a 1986 science-fiction action game that combines fast flying with shooting, exploration, and a surprisingly open environment. Players pilot a futuristic craft across alien landscapes, attacking enemy installations and searching for ways to complete their objectives. The game uses a pseudo-3D perspective to create an impressive sense of speed and depth for its time, giving the player the sensation of actually flying over the terrain rather than simply moving a sprite across a screen. Starglider rewards both reflexes and exploration, with different targets and routes encouraging players to experiment. Its atmosphere has a distinctly British home-computer feel, mixing serious science-fiction ideas with a playful approach to action. The controls take some getting used to, but once mastered, the sensation of swooping across the landscape is surprisingly satisfying. It is basically aerial warfare in space, except nobody remembered to install a sensible speed limit.