Cloud Imperium Games' controversial space sim Star Citizen is currently free to try for a week on PC - so now's a good time to hop in and sample its interstellar wares if you've been curious to see what progress has been made in recent times.

Star Citizen's latest free-play event (or Free Fly, as the developer calls it) is available now until 8th May, and is unfolding in celebration of the game's recent alpha 3.5 update. Among other things, this introduced a new flight model, a female player model and new Character Customisation tool, plus ArcCorp, a neon-hued, planet-spanning megacity.

ArcCorp, Star Citizen's new megacity planet.

Five vehicles will be available during the Free Fly event, with curious players able to take the Anvil Arrow, mining ship MISC Prospector, Drake Cutlass Black, Aegis Avenger Titan, and two-seater hover-bike Drake Dragonfly for a spin. Newcomers may also wish to peruse this official selection of tutorials so as not to repeat the mistakes of my disastrous first Free Fly experience, in which I spent an hour trying to work out where the door to my ship was then another two aimlessly, terrifyingly adrift in the depths of space.

To get involved, follow the instructions on the Star Citizen Free Fly weekend sign-up page, then download the game and prepare to embark on your intergalactic galavant. Perhaps you'll see me careening helplessly by in your rearview mirror.