[2][3] Psychedelia allowed a user to generate a light show on the screen grid, using the joystick to send pulses or bursts of coloured squares.

[1] Running the code for the first time had a profound effect on Minter: "It just felt wonderfully new, and somehow primal... it was like the patterns and mandalas that have fascinated humans for millennia, but come to life, under your control..."[1] Originally, Minter intended the algorithm to be public domain and contributed an early version in listing form to a computer magazine.

Your Spectrum criticized the concept of a light synthesizer, describing Psychedelia as boring and awarding an average of 2/5.

[11] Sinclair User also only awarded 2 out of 5, finding the concept interesting but concluding that the games-buying public was the wrong demographic for this kind of software.

[12] In contrast, CRASH found the package great fun to play around with, describing the effects as fantastic, but criticizing the retail price and narrow appeal.