It’s unlikely many of today’s xBox owners will remember Atari’s 80’s side-scroller shoot ‘em up Yars’ Revenge.

Possibly the only game ever made to be based on mutant house flies, you played Yar, a sort of space insect who had to shoot through barriers to destroy arch enemy the evil Qotile. Think Space Invaders – but horizontal.

But while in 1982, swapping the direction of game play was an innovative move akin to burning your flares and pulling on a shell suit, 30 years later, it takes a little more imagination to reboot the title for the 21st century.

Yar is no longer a laser-firing bluebottle, but has blossomed into a sexy alien dragonfly. The action is now ‘on-the-rail’ – meaning Yar flies on a fixed path through the anime-inspired backgrounds while you target the waves of bad guys, collecting power-ups and selecting weapons.

These include a shield which prevents you from firing and recharges your health, a weapon which shoots down enemy missiles automatically, a short range smart bomb and a power-up which super-sizes all the weapons in your arsenal.

With the left control stick, you can move Yar to dodge enemy fire, while the right stick aims your cross-hairs. This makes it difficult to shoot and avoid attacks at the same time. And once you’ve added in the collar and trigger buttons which activate weapons and shields, your brain’s almost ready to explode. 

The awkward controls and too-tough bosses eventually become repetitive and frustrating as you’re bombarded with wave after wave of identical enemy attacks.

On-the-Rail shooters are supposed to be non-stop thrill rides, cleverly designed so that the stages are exciting even if you've already played through them before. Here, the beautifully rendered locations just aren’t enough to keep the player’s interest as you fly through level after level of killer bees, mad robots and mental spaceships that look different, but are essentially all the same.

This may only budget title, but considering you can still play the still superior 1982 version online for free, you may want to consider saving your money.

Because, sadly, it’s too difficult for younger players, and incredibly dull for those you are old enough to remember Yars’ Revenge the first time around.