<s>
Uridium	B-Device
(	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
NES	O
as	O
The	B-Device
Last	I-Device
Starfighter	I-Device
)	O
is	O
a	O
science	O
fiction	O
side-scrolling	O
shoot	O
'	O
em	O
up	O
originally	O
designed	O
by	O
Andrew	O
Braybrook	O
for	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
other	O
8-bit	O
machines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
consists	O
of	O
fifteen	O
levels	O
,	O
each	O
named	O
after	O
a	O
metal	O
element	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
last	O
level	O
being	O
called	O
Uridium	B-Device
(	O
a	O
fictional	O
metallic	O
element	O
,	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
confused	O
with	O
the	O
real	O
metallic	O
element	O
iridium	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uridium	B-Device
was	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	O
Entertainment	O
System	O
in	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mindscape	O
purchased	O
a	O
license	O
to	O
release	O
a	O
game	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
film	O
The	B-Device
Last	I-Device
Starfighter	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
re-released	O
on	O
the	O
C64	B-Device
Direct-to-TV	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2008	O
,	O
the	O
C64	O
version	O
was	O
a	O
title	O
on	O
the	B-Operating_System
Wii	I-Operating_System
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
,	O
released	O
on	O
28	O
March	O
for	O
the	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
costing	O
500	O
Wii	B-Application
Points	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
of	O
Uridium	B-Device
is	O
described	O
as	O
follows	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Enemy	O
Super-Dreadnoughts	O
have	O
been	O
placed	O
in	O
orbit	O
around	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
fifteen	O
planets	O
in	O
this	O
galactic	O
sector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
Super-Dreadnought	O
seeks	O
out	O
a	O
different	O
metal	O
for	O
its	O
metal	O
converter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Your	O
Manta	B-Device
class	O
Space	O
Fighter	O
will	O
be	O
transported	O
to	O
each	O
planet	O
in	O
turn	O
and	O
it	O
is	O
your	O
task	O
to	O
destroy	O
each	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
you	O
must	O
attack	O
the	O
defensive	O
screen	O
of	O
enemy	O
fighters	O
,	O
then	O
you	O
must	O
neutralise	O
the	O
majority	O
of	O
surface	O
defences	O
before	O
you	O
land	O
on	O
the	O
Super-Dreadnought	O
'	O
s	O
master	O
runway	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
on	O
board	O
you	O
must	O
pull	O
as	O
many	O
fuel	O
rods	O
as	O
possible	O
from	O
the	O
metal	O
converters	O
before	O
you	O
take	O
off	O
for	O
a	O
final	O
strafing	O
run	O
as	O
the	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
vaporises	O
into	O
the	O
ether	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
practice	O
,	O
each	O
level	O
takes	O
place	O
at	O
a	O
fixed	O
altitude	O
just	O
above	O
the	O
surface	O
of	O
the	O
Dreadnoughts	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
screen	O
scrolls	O
horizontally	O
in	O
both	O
directions	O
as	O
the	O
Manta	B-Device
flies	O
over	O
the	O
Dreadnoughts	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
has	O
a	O
different	O
configuration	O
of	O
walls	O
and	O
other	O
structures	O
which	O
must	O
be	O
negotiated	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
reach	O
the	O
landing	O
zone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
task	O
is	O
hampered	O
by	O
squadrons	O
of	O
enemy	O
fighters	O
that	O
attack	O
the	O
Manta	B-Device
in	O
waves	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lastly	O
,	O
flashing	O
ports	O
on	O
the	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
's	O
surface	O
release	O
homing	O
mines	O
that	O
cannot	O
be	O
destroyed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
takes	O
a	O
skillful	O
Manta	B-Device
pilot	O
to	O
outfly	O
the	O
mines	O
until	O
they	O
self-detonate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
when	O
enough	O
of	O
the	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
's	O
defenses	O
have	O
been	O
destroyed	O
is	O
the	O
"	O
Land	O
Now	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
signal	O
activated	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
slow	O
the	O
Manta	B-Device
's	O
speed	O
to	O
a	O
minimum	O
and	O
land	O
on	O
the	O
sternward	O
landing	O
zone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Finally	O
,	O
the	O
Manta	B-Device
takes	O
off	O
again	O
as	O
the	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
below	O
it	O
crumbles	O
to	O
atoms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
Manta	B-Device
flies	O
over	O
the	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
again	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
shoot	O
any	O
remaining	O
defences	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
Dreadnoughts	B-Application
have	O
tricky	O
wall	O
configurations	O
where	O
the	O
gap	O
between	O
the	O
walls	O
is	O
so	O
narrow	O
that	O
the	O
Manta	B-Device
must	O
turn	O
sideways	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
pass	O
through	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
required	O
skillful	O
use	O
of	O
the	O
joystick	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
final	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
,	O
Uridium	B-Device
,	O
actually	O
contains	O
only	O
a	O
few	O
screens	O
of	O
gameplay	O
;	O
the	O
bulk	O
of	O
this	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
consists	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
congratulations	O
"	O
message	O
for	O
completing	O
the	O
game	O
(	O
i.e.	O
,	O
"	O
GOOD	O
ZAPPING	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
initially	O
made	O
inaccessible	O
by	O
an	O
impassable	O
wall	O
,	O
but	O
visible	O
in	O
the	O
final	O
overflight	O
when	O
the	O
Dreadnought	B-Application
is	O
destroyed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Uridium	B-Device
was	O
originally	O
released	O
,	O
reviewers	O
were	O
impressed	O
by	O
the	O
way	O
the	O
Dreadnoughts	B-Application
were	O
presented	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
simulation	O
of	O
parallax	O
scrolling	O
,	O
the	O
surface	O
of	O
the	O
Dreadnoughts	B-Application
scrolls	O
horizontally	O
,	O
whereas	O
the	O
stars	O
in	O
the	O
background	O
stay	O
still	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
way	O
it	O
was	O
done	O
is	O
that	O
the	O
Dreadnoughts	B-Application
 '	O
surface	O
is	O
actually	O
the	O
background	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
black	O
empty	O
space	O
and	O
the	O
stars	O
are	O
character	O
glyphs	O
on	O
the	O
foreground	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uridium	B-Device
was	O
followed	O
by	O
Uridium+	B-Device
(	O
a	O
modified	O
version	O
containing	O
new	O
levels	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Uridium	B-Application
2	I-Application
on	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
platform	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
praised	O
Uridium	B-Device
for	O
its	O
graphics	O
 '	O
ability	O
to	O
display	O
depth	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
robust	O
controls	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
voted	O
Best	O
Arcade-style	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
at	O
the	O
1986	O
Golden	O
Joystick	B-Device
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Uridium	B-Device
reached	O
number	O
one	O
in	O
both	O
the	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
all-format	O
charts	O
in	O
early	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
,	O
it	O
reached	O
number	O
three	O
in	O
the	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
charts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
Andrew	O
Braybrook	O
's	O
later	O
releases	O
,	O
Morpheus	B-Device
,	O
contained	O
a	O
homing	O
mine	O
enemy	O
called	O
an	O
"	O
Uridimine	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
a	O
tribute	O
to	O
the	O
homing	O
mines	O
of	O
Uridium	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
aficionados	O
refer	O
to	O
the	O
homing	O
mines	O
as	O
"	O
Uridimines	O
"	O
when	O
talking	O
about	O
Uridium	B-Device
or	O
Uridium	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
