In case you don't remember the original Space Rangers, the developers have thoughtfully bundled it with this enhanced sequel and both should appeal to lovers of space adventures who like to mix and match different genres.

The story is less than original. Two hundred years have elapsed since the original Klissan War and the galaxy is now threatened by a new breed of robotic invaders known as the Dominators. Your mission, Jim, is to join with the other five friendly races and defeat this new threat, both in space and in planetary battles.

Essentially this a role-play game where you choose which race you belong to, which type of spacecraft you fly (fighter, mercenary, merchant, corsair or pirate) and what sort of skills and strategy you want to employ. The useful tutorial (and very detailed manual) will guide you through the techniques of gameplay to achieve your goal.

Most of the action revolves around being given quests to fulfil (there are 22 in all) which mostly involve flying to a sector of the galaxy map, buying or trading supplies on a planet and then flying to another world to sell your goods for a profit, rather like the legendary Elite game.

The old points system has been replaced with an experience gaining one, in addition to building up your monetary credits. Credits will buy you better equipment, weaponry, supplies and spaceships, which is vital when you enter into planetary combat. There are 15 weapon types, divided into fragmenting, power-weapons and missiles.

The Dominator battles use typical strategy methods; build processing plants and defensive towers and then start churning out the most sophisticated robot warriors you can afford. The action is now played out in glorious 3D across 18 new planetary maps. While this is a definite improvement, the maps are not particularly extensive and the optional manual control of your troops is unwieldy. There's also a tendency for your units to position themselves in blocking positions which prevent them firing at targets.

Space travel and space combat is turn-based and if you want to avoid fighting enemies who have more powerful ships, you can agree to be bought off or offer goods as bribes. A minor annoyance is that sometimes it's impossible to chart a course to avoid a fight. Players who like gathering resources, though, will be pleased to learn that probes have been introduced to research planets for minerals and the price of goods, etc., and other spacecraft can be scanned that have landed on the same planet.

Two attractive new additions are 12 foreign planet illnesses that have to be avoided and 12 'stimulators' that can boost your skills, in addition to the valued micromodules that are vital for equipment upgrades. With three new sectors added to the galaxy map, space exploration and conquest fans can't complain that their universe is too small.

Space game fans will appreciate the considerable improvements on the original, including 3D planetary battles and the expansion of maps and research possibilities. As with many mixed genre games, though, the whole is better than the individual parts.