You run along a narrow hallway leading from the bridge of the Imperial Star Destroyer. Blaster bolts ricochet off the walls, narrowly missing you. Ahead, a doorway looms open - only to be blocked by sinister white figures which raise their weapons in your direction. Your finger tightens on the trigger of your ion rifle, and the stormtroopers go down in a shower of destructive energy. Unhindered, you leap through the door to safety . . .

	If this is the type of Star Wars action that you crave, prepare yourself. By the end of the year, LucasArts will release Dark Forces, a first-person perspective shooter that puts you right into the thick of the action. In it, you play a Rebel spy dispatched to an Imperial Star Destroyer to retrieve a copy of the plans for the dreaded Death Star. Once aboard, however, you learn of another ominous secret:: the Empire plans to build a battalion of super stormtroopers in heavy powered armor. The responsibility for stopping this new threat rests on your shoulders, and yours alone.

	Gameplay is straightforward: run around. Shoot things. Don't get shot. Pick up weapons and ammo from fallen foes. While exploring an Imperial Star Destroyer and other locations (including several secret planet-based installations), you must complete a series of missions to eliminate the threat of these new Dark Troopers.

	Dark Forces uses a totally original engine developed by LucasArts. Not only is it a fast 3D scrolling environment, it lets you crouch, jump, and look up and down. A HUD-like automap can be superimposed over the main screen; hitting the TAB key multiple times toggles levels other than the one you're currently on.

	In addition to the light sourcing and animated wall textures common to games of this ilk, Dark Forces features something truly amazing: large 3D objects which move around. In one scene, a TIE Fighter takes off and flies through a shuttle bay as you pass through it. This is an awe-inspiring sight, and one which should set a new standard for 3D environment rendering.

	Software distribution channels are about to clogged with Doom clones like a fried chicken lover's arteries are choked with cholesterol. Thankfully, some first-person games have risen above that unruly mob to stand on their own merit. Dark Forces is one such product. Instead of creating a cheap knockoff, the developers at LucasArts have made a real effort to push the envelope, create new technology, and generally find a new way to let us enjoy ourselves a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.