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We're guessing here, but the name 'Elite' probably means as much to you as 'Vivaldi' (he was an Italian musician in the 18th century - hey, you'll thank us one day). Back in the Eighties, Elite was the ultimate in gaming pleasure. Flying through space, making a bundle, shooting pirates and living the high life.

Fast-forward a couple of decades and we arrive at Freelancer. Much the same but with vastly improved graphics, much cooler space battles and a gripping story line to boot.

Work to live
You can run missions for dozens of employers, from destroying terrorist bases, to helping the local military sort out disputes or even becoming them by carving out a career as a mighty pirate. Or you can just trade your way to a fortune.

It's as good as it sounds, even if it takes a while to get going. The story keeps things moving at first, but you're soon left to your own devices to play the game how ever the heck you want.

Freelancer only really starts to fall down when you play it over the long term. After a while it all starts to feel the same and the lack of variety in the content of the missions starts to annoy. But this is a minor gripe as mostly it's as action-packed a life in space as you could hope for.