World Games (Epyx) (Commodore 64/128)

Great value for money, extremely playable... Well worth a place in anyone's Christmas stocking.

Ikari Warriors (Elite) (Amstrad CPC464)

A classy arcade conversion - the best Amstrad game we've seen for ages. Maybe even the best of the year.

Thanatos (Durell) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

A novel mixture of adventure and arcade action. You could play it just to get a high score. But the best thing is to fly over the mysterious lands, discovering more each time you play.

Stryker's Run (Superior/Acornsoft) (BBC B/B+/Master 128)

The game moves at a leisurely pace, and with all its polish it failed to grip. Take the polish away, and there's not really very much there.

Star Glider (Rainbird) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Whether you've got a 48K or 128K Spectrum, you'll find Starglider engrossing and addictive to play.

Rogue Trooper (Piranha) (Spectrum 48K)

Not a great game... But if you are a fan of the comic and like games you can beat pretty easily then Rogue Trooper is worth looking at.

Judge Dredd (Melbourne House) (Commodore 64/128)

The game moves fluidly from screen to screen and there are some nice touches.

Breakthru (U. S. Gold) (Spectrum 48K)

A basic shoot 'em up - no more, no less. The graphics are colourful although your battle wagon looks a bit weedy.

Superstar Ping-Pong (U. S. Gold) (Commodore 64/128)

One of my friends who is hoping to take up Table Tennis professionally, and who is a computer fanatic, played this game with me on two players. He thinks that it's nothing new and is not even as good as the old Atari version. I agree.

Dandy (Electric Dreams) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Very playable and very addictive - especially with two players.

The Assault Machine (Nexus) (Commodore 64)

A nice mix of icon-driven strategy combined with fairly satisfying shoot-'em-up.

Trailblazer (Gremlin Graphics) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

A simply brilliant game. Original and extremely addictive. Everyone should have it in their collection!

Cobra (Ocean) (Amstrad CPC464)

Graphically and soundwise Cobra is okay, but really it's the sort of game you've seen many times before. It will sell on the name rather than on the originality.

Gauntlet (U. S. Gold) (Amstrad CPC464)

Great graphics, good sound, perfect playability. What more could you ask for? Now that the real thing is here the imitators begin to look a bit weedy.

Aliens (Electric Dreams) (Spectrum 48K)

Although the game isn't stunningly original in terms of an idea, you quickly find yourself being drawn into and getting absorbed in the play.

Tarzan (Martech) (BBC/Electron)

Tarzan is probably one of the best looking Spectrum games of recent months and, although it's a little weak on plot, it is addictive enough to keep you playing.

City Slicker (Hewson Consultants) (Spectrum 48K)

Excellent fun and, graphically it's very slick.

Future Knight (Gremlin Graphics) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Not terribly original - but very well put together... It's a map makers delight and pretty good value.

1942 (Elite) (Commodore 64/128)

The game is a blast, and if you don't buy it then you don't deserve a C64. It's that simple.

Sepulcri (Ariolasoft) (Amstrad CPC464)

Graphics are crisp and well designed with a number of different wall textures and colour combinations which further help to make every room look different.

Movie Monster (Epyx) (Commodore 64/128)

I love monster films - the dodgier the better! So I liked this game. It's well put together, brilliantly presented and enjoyable to play.

Fat Worm (Durell) (Spectrum 48K)

If you like computer in-jokes the this could be for you. The graphics are interesting - but your worm lacks any sort of real character which detracts from the game's playability.

Warrior II (Nexus) (Commodore 64)

There's a great sense of achievement as you use a bounce mat to lift you clear of a seemingly impossible obstacle - only to be frustrated at being catapulted onto a vaporising mat.

League Challenge (Atlantis) (BBC/Electron)

This is good fun, whether you're a football freak or not... although the presentation is pretty ropey - mostly horrible mode two-type text, unpleasant to read.

Flash Gordon (Mastertronic Added Dimension) (Commodore 64/128)

Excellent fun... Buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Starburst (Ariolasoft) (Commodore 16)

A high speed shoot-'em-up but which is dazzlingly colourful and designed to wreck the reflexes. It's fiendishly difficult and, I have to confess, I found it confusing to play.

Los Angeles Swat (Mastertronic Added Dimension) (Atari XE/XL)

The scrolling is a bit slow and not at all smooth. But the hectic action soon makes you forget all about this.

Icon Jon (Mirrorsoft) (Amstrad CPC464)

You'll have hours of fun trying to crack some of the many riddles, puns and gags contained in the more than 50 locations of Jon's techno prison accompanied by the strains of Beethoven's choral symphony.

Ice Temple (Bubble Bus) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

A pretty playable arcade adventure. Nothing new - but very mappable and fun to play.

The Sentinel (Firebird) (BBC Model B)

Now this is nothing like anything you've seen before...! Challenging, entertaining and totally addictive.

Kettle (Alligata) (Amstrad CPC464)

With fantastic sound, a jazzed up version of that old nursery rhyme favourite 'Polly Put The Kettle On', easy-to-see graphics and addictiveness beyond belief, Kettle is just fantastic!

Power Play (Arcana) (Amstrad CPC464/664)

Easily the most imaginative computer Trivia game to hit the streets.

Super Huey II (U. S. Gold) (Commodore 64/128)

Complex, challenging and interesting to attempt, Super Huey II will go down well with those hard-to-please flight fans everywhere.

Hopeless (Radarsoft) (Commodore 64)

This game is - no, I'm not going to be cheap and say ‘Hopeless’ - fairly standard and is nothing to get excited about.

Infiltrator (U. S. Gold) (Spectrum 48K)

Marble Madness (Melbourne House) (Spectrum 48K)

As good a game of Marble Madness as you can expect on the Speccy... and the construction set makes it a whole new ball game every time you play!

Nosferatu (Piranha) (Amstrad CPC464)

If you like Ultimate style games and haven't become fed up with the format, then Nosferatu will be a worthwhile investment and something to get your teeth into.

Dr. What! (CRL) (Spectrum 48K)

A surprisingly entertaining offering with a few original twists. If you're an arcade adventure addict, you won't want to miss it.

BMX Simulator (Codemasters) (Commodore 64/128)

A great game. The tracks are graphically quite good; the only moan is lack of colour, but that's the limit of the machine.

Yie-Ar Kung Fu II (Imagine) (Commodore 64/128)

Great graphics, music and sound effects combine to make Yie Ar Kung Fu II another winner.

Terra Cognita (Codemasters) (Spectrum 48K)

Very playable and great value, Terra Cognita should prove to be a budget hit.

Heartland (Odin) (Amstrad CPC464)

If you're after a pretty arcade adventure liberally garnished with zapping, good sound effects and music then Heartland is for you.

Terminus (Mastertronic Added Dimension) (Spectrum 48K)

A vast, sprawling game. For the price, you can't fault it.

Avenger: The Way Of The Tiger II (Gremlin Graphics) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Avenger isn't a stunning game - but it is pretty playable. One for map fans and a worthy follow up to Way Of The Tiger.

Academy: Tau Ceti II (CRL) (Spectrum 48K)

Immensely playable and totally addictive.

Bazooka Bill (Melbourne House) (Commodore 64/128)

Don't be put off by people who tell you you've seen it all before - just grab the joystick and make your own mind up.

Galivan (Imagine) (Amstrad CPC464)

Of the three formats Galivan has been released on so far, it's Commodore users who get the best conversion. But even that one isn't exactly the bee's knees.

The Archers (Mosaic) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

If you're an Archers fan, you'll enjoy this game.

Dome Trooper (Matand) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

The most annoying thing is that for some reason I could not discover, the city's reactor blows up after 51 inputs! However hard I just could not do anything to prevent it.

Demon From The Darkside (Compass) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Bugsy (CRL) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

As the inlay says, 'Ya wanna stay healthy, ya buy it!'

Escape (AD 400) (Atari 400/800)

It's not one of those Adventures with hundreds of locations in most of which nothing seems to happen. But it does have that old magic I once sensed when first I stood alongside a sleeping dragon in a sunny meadow!

Nam: 1965-1975 (Strategic Simulations Inc.) (Apple II)

The terrain graphics are extremely good, although the troops look rather too much like pin-men.

Battlefront (Strategic Studies Group) (Commodore 64)

A very good attempt, but it is not the perfect game that it might have been.

Carriers At War (Strategic Studies Group) (Commodore 64)

As wargames go, this is splendid and, so far, I have seen nothing to compare with it.

Napoleon At War (Cases Computer Simulations) (Spectrum 48K)

Unfortunately, the combat mechanism seems to involve such a large random factor that whether the French win or lose has almost nothing to do with the orders you do give them!

Tobruk: The Clash Of Armour (PSS) (Amstrad CPC464)

Attempts to mix strategy and shooting in games usually don't work very well - this is one of the better ones.

Repton 3 (Superior) (BBC B/B+/Master 128)

As gripping, entertaining and downright frustrating as ever, but with the sprite and screen designer, Repton 3 offers something more.

Starglider (Rainbird) (Atari ST)

At last somebody has really shown us what 16 bit technology is capable of!

World Games (Epyx) (Atari ST)

Although World Games has its high points, I almost feel the talented programmers at Epyx are now in the doldrums of creative stagnancy.

Little Computer People (Activision) (Atari ST)

Even though you can play a larger selection of games with your mini-chum on the ST, you may be better advised to look at the Commodore 64 version rather than shell out £25 for it.

Mercenary (Novagen Software Ltd) (Atari ST)

The beauty of this game, apart from the stunningly smooth vector graphics, is the element of strategy required to negotiate the diplomatic minefield you must necessarily create for yourself by accepting missions from both sides in the continuing war on Targ.

Art Director (Mirrorsoft) (Atari ST)

Although there are certain aspects of the user interface in Art Director that could have been a more friendly, the program's wealth of powerful and useful features makes its one of the best graphics packages yet seen for the ST.

Space Station (Eidersoft) (Atari ST)

The graphics are pleasing without being anything to write home about, but each screen is "busy" enough to maintain interest and you could find this game grabbing you when you're not looking and not letting go until you've mastered it.

Leaderboard (U. S. Gold) (Atari ST)

A very playable golf game which should appeal to anybody remotely interested in the game.

Psion Chess (Psion) (Atari ST)

Arguably the strongest and definitely the most friendly chess program around at the moment and is highly recommended.