AstroFire

Unlike most arcade shooters, AstroFire not only tests your shooting skills but also your powers of evasion. Though you must fend off enemy spacecraft, the ability to successfully dodge is the real key here, as treacherous asteroids break into more and more pieces each time you hit them. As if that weren’t challenging enough, the game’s controls also are difficult to master. You can turn your spaceship and speed it up or down, but you won’t find any brakes. We weren’t impressed with the outdated graphics and music, which took us on an unwelcome nostalgia trip to the 1980s. The demo version lets you play only one-third of the game’s levels, but, since that still amounts to 25 boards, we can’t complain too much. If you want to hone your reflexes in addition to your aim, you’ll enjoy AstroFire, though you’ll have to live with the awkward controls and uninspired graphics.