The Great Space Race is a combination role-playing game and science-fiction space combat game. The basic premise of the game is that a new super-drink called Natof has been discovered. Natof has three key properties, which are to get the person drunk, never leave him with a hangover, and supply him with all the nutrition required from a well-balanced (if never sober) diet. The name Natof is a portmanteau of the phrase "NAme TO Follow" - the sentence sent with the first batch of miracle drink by the discoverer. The manual describes the game as "a true computer movie. The player can just watch events unfold, joining in as much or as little as he wishes." The objective is "to deliver, to the space stations as much Natof as the player can, as fast as he can." The game will play itself if left alone — indeed the computer generally makes a better player than a human does — although that rather defeats the point of the game.