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

A great game that is very satisfying to play - make no delay, go for it!

Speedball II (Image Works) (Atari ST)

A totally brilliant sequel, and a magnificent game in its own right.

Toyota Celica GT Rally (Gremlin Graphics) (Amiga 500)

Once you've got the hang of the controls and can anticipate how the Celica responds to the arduous rally course it ranks as one of the best driving sims available.

Extreme (Digital Integration) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

A quality Spectrum game in one 48K load...!

Narc (Ocean) (Amiga 500)

Vicious, gory, loud... And the best coin-op conversion in ages.

Sky Shark (Dreamworks) (Sega Genesis)

I recommend this game very strongly to all shoot-'em-up fans - you'll have a blast!

Defender 2 (Arc) (Amiga 500)

I'm all for synthesized digital destruction on a grand scale and Defender 2 more than fits the bill.

John Madden's American Football (Electronic Arts) (Sega Genesis)

With gorgeous graphics, super sound, and perfect playability, this is a Must-Have game for Megadrive owners.

Batman (Sunsoft) (PC Engine (JP Version))

Special mention must also go to the amazing end-of-level animations sequences - they're just totally gob-smacking, especially the film-quality Batwing sequence!

Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (Image Works) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Even if you're not the world's most manic Turtles fan, you may well find yourself pleasantly surprised by this excellent licence, which deserves to sell like hot cakes.

Iron Tracker (Mastertronic) (Atari ST)

Dull, boring and naff.

The Empire Strikes Back (The Hit Squad) (Commodore 64/128)

Slow, boring, repetitive... and not the fast action-packed game you'd expect.

The Games: Winter Edition (Kixx) (Commodore 64/128)

A fairly decent collection of wintry sports games.

R-Type (The Hit Squad) (Spectrum 48K/128K/+2/+3)

A horizontally-scrolling shooter, with bags of power-up weapons, a drone which can be attached to both the front and rear of the ship, and loads of horrible aliens to blast, all in glorious technicolour!

MiG 29 Soviet Fighter (Codemasters) (Amiga 500)

Bleeurgh...! MiG-29 Soviet Fighter is an absolute travesty of a game, completely devoid of any redeeming characteristics whatsoever.

Target Renegade (The Hit Squad) (Amstrad CPC464/664/6128)

A dashed good game... The Amstrad original was little short of excellent, and Target Renegade carries on the tradition in fine form, with large, colourful sprites and addictive fumpin' fun... You can't do better than this.

Targhan (Mastertronic) (Atari ST)

Pretty yawnsome all round... Just your basic everyday hack 'n slash, with a smidgen of puzzle solving thrown in.

Run The Gauntlet (The Hit Squad) (Commodore 64/128)

An interesting sports game... Check it out.

Lotus Esprit Turbo (Gremlin Graphics) (Atari ST)

One of the greatest ST road racers available, and outstanding in two player mode.

Super Off Road (Tradewest) (Nintendo (US Version))

A good quality Super Sprint-style racer.

Badlands (Domark) (Commodore 64)

Not a total travesty, but Badlands is a bit too slow and, in a racing game, speed is all-important.

Spiderman (Paragon) (Commodore 64)

A single load and it's just as good as the 16-bit game! Seek and purchase.... now!

Rick Dangerous 2 (Micro Style) (Spectrum 48K)

Featuring brilliant visuals, decent sound and extremely addictive gameplay, Rick Dangerous 2 is something of an essential purchase.

Subbuteo (Electronic Zoo) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Quite a colourful game, but the action is slow and unrewarding.

Awesome (Psygnosis) (Amiga 500)

It's another tremendously stylish package from Psygnosis, but as far as gameplay goes, Awesome is a little disappointing.

Masterblazer (Rainbow Arts) (Amiga 500)

As much of a classic as the original Ballblazer.

Knights Of The Sky (Microprose) (IBM PC)

Prince Of Persia (Domark) (Amiga 500)

Watching Prince Of Persia is like witnessing poetry in motion - playing it is better still!

Deathtrap (Anco) (Amiga 500)

Just a platform game with added frilly bits... To be frank, it's something that you should give severe consideration to before purchase.

Golden Axe (Virgin Games) (Atari ST)

Hugely enjoyable... It's one of the best two-player games around. My only hesitation is over its lastability; it's not hard to complete, and after that, interest in the game will wane dramatically.

Paperboy (Sega) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

One of the best arcade conversions available for the Sega, with bright, colourful graphics, great scrolling and plenty of nice, humorous touches thrown in.

Z-Out (Rainbow Arts) (Amiga 500)

So not much originality, but a fair few blasting thrills, so anyone with a love of laser would do well to check out Z-Out.

Test Drive 3 (Accolade) (IBM PC)

If an accurate driving sim appeals to you, you may like this; otherwise it's too mediocre to be worth buying.

Eswat (Sega) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

A decent enough game, but I'd recommended it to less accomplished gamers, because veterans will have seen all there is to see long before they've had their £30's worth.

Light Speed (Microprose) (IBM PC)

There's loads to keep you occupied in Light Speed, with a huge amount of strategy fun to keep you busy, but it lacks the instant attraction and playability of the classic Elite.

Gauntlet (U. S. Gold) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

If you're a fan of the genre, or just want a brilliant game for your Master System, you could do no wrong with this.

Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (U. S. Gold) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

A good game, but certainly not for novices.

Rabid Lepus (Video System Co. Limited) (PC Engine (JP Version))

If you're a hardcore shoot-'em-up junkie in need of a challenge, then Rabid Lepus is great. Just don't expect anything mindbendingly original, that's all.

Covert Action (Microprose) (IBM PC)

The four sub-games are a very satisfying mixture of strategy, puzzle and action gameplay, and the way they're been worked into the overall investigation has been cunningly devised.

Line Of Fire (U. S. Gold) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

If you're into synthesized violence on a grand scale, take a look at Line Of Fire - it's the best game of its type by far.

Columns (Sega) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

As you'd expect from a game like this, the playability shines through, and makes Columns one hell of an addictive little number.

Narco Police (Dinamic) (Amiga 500)

A good game... lots of fun to play... If blasting things to blazes is your bag, take a peek.