The original X-COM combined excellent tactical turn-based combat with detailed facility and personnel management, effectively making a game that was much more than the sum of its parts. Like its namesake, X-COM: Interceptor (the fourth in the series) blends two distinct genres into a satisfying whole. This time, though, the tactical combat is gone. You still have to manage bases and hire personnel, but the squad-level strategy has been replaced with deep space dogfighting. It's an interesting premise; imagine Wing Commander with a dynamic campaign, and you'll have a good idea of what the designers set out to achieve.

As in previous X-COM games, you must lead a military force to eliminate an alien menace. This time out, however, the region you are defending is not Earth (as in UFO Defense or Terror from the Deep), nor is it a single city (as in Apocalypse). Instead, you must defend a group of star systems undergoing commercialization by humans. As in Apocalypse, your supporters are businesses who have set up outposts within the region. Defend them well, and your monthly income will increase. Let a few fall to alien raids, and you'll watch your funds slowly dwindle.