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Oh well, it's an interesting concept. Pub Games is a tape comprising all those pursuits you love to play in between the lager and crisps.

Very young people will just have to imagine what the lager and crisps are like. In fact, I'm not sure I can remember - anyone want to buy a round? Alligata, it turns out, has put quite a lot of programming effort into Pub Games and the outcome is a reasonably entertaining, if bizarre package.

Some of the games on the tape are old computer favourites flike Darts. First seen a million years ago on the Atari, I remember. It's not bad. Line up a cross on the dart board - made difficult because it is jiggling about (too many lagers probably). Then a man in the left side of the screen chucks the dart. Only one complaint - the guy doesn't have an enormous stomach - unrealistic.

Dominoes is unusual, possibly unique on a micro.

Table Football is even more bizarre, it recreates the authentic play of table football very accurately - you need two players - I found it incredibly difficult to play, you have to zoom back and forth along the lines of men and mix 'pull back' shots with an immediately following 'kick' shot. When two people are both trying to do this both using the keyboard it gets finger twisting to say the least.

Both Poker and Pontoon are pretty much your standard budget fodder, both play well enough, with quite nicely detailed displays on the cards.

Last on the tape is Skittles. Not tremendously exciting.

There is only the one key to worry about. The ball waggled about in front of the usual layout of skittles. Press any key and off it goes. I haven't knocked them all down yet but there's a limit to how long I'm prepared to keep trying.

Pub Games gets a whishy washy SDP sort of not badish kind of rating. I think you might want to play the darts for a while, maybe the dominoes, and the card games are definitely worth something.

Label: Alligata Author: In House Price: £9.95 Joystick: Kempston Memory: 48K/128K Reviewer: Graham Taylor

****

Several games, some very familiar some unique, nothing good or bad. Not very exciting but a twist on the decathlon style.