Of course, there was no-one there. Why should therebe anyone there? It was a game.

The newt face had disappeared from the screen, leav-ing the familiar picture of the inside of the starfighter.And there was the radar screen-covered in yellow dots.Yellow for the enemy.

Johnny picked up the joystick and turned the star-fighter around. The entire ScreeWee fleet was there.Ship after ship was hanging in space behind him.

Little fighters, big cruisers, massive battleships.If they all had him in their sights, and if they .......He didn't want to die.

Hang on, hang on. You don't die. You just play thegame again.

This was nuts. It was time to stop it.

He typed: All right what happens now?We want to go home.

He typed: All right no problem.You give us safe conduct

He typed: OK yes.

The screen went blank.

And that was it? No music? No 'Congratulations,You've Got the Highest Score'?Just the little prompt, flashing on and off.What did safe conduct mean, anyway?

2.

Operate Controls To Play Game

You never said to your parents, 'Hey, I really need acomputer because that way I can play Megasteroids.'

No, you said, 'I really need a computer because ofschool.'It's educational.

Anyway, there had to be a good side to the TryingTimes everyone was going through in this house. If youhung around in your room and generally kept yourhead down, stuff like computers sort of happened. Itmade everyone feel better.

And it was quite useful for school sometimes. Johnnyhad written 'What it felt like to be different sorts ofpeasants' on it, and printed them out on the printer,although he had to rewrite them in his handwritingbecause although the school taught Keyboard Skillsand New Technology you got into trouble if youused keyboard skills and new technology actually to do