This 1986 coin-op showed Taito taking one of the most ancient video games - Breakout - and applying all that famous Japanese genius to produce a massive hit. The basic gameplay is simple: you control a bat at the bottom of the screen and must stop the bouncing ball from getting past you - losing you a life. To get on to the next level, you must destroy all the bricks on the screen by hitting them with the ball. Most bricks require only a single hit; some need more though. Occasionally capsules are released which, if caught, can double the width of the bat, slow down the ball, split the ball into three, give you an extra life, arm the bat with a laser to blast the bricks, or even allow you to catch the ball so you can fire it upwards at just the right place. There's also a very useful capsule which allows you to go straight to the next screen.

Another Japanese innovation is the intricate, often fiendishly cunning, way the bricks are organised. On some levels, bricks you need to destroy are partially protected by indestructible walls. All in all, each screen provides a completely new challenge, providing much more variety than you'd expect of the game-type. And then there's the aliens which float about. These can't harm your bat, but if the ball hits them it flies off at an unpredictable angle - often with lethal results!

Back in 1987, C64 Arkanoid was welcomed with an 80% mark and "a magnificent conversion" comment. Two years later, the graphics still look excellent, accurately recreating the look of the coin-op. As long as you haven't got sick of the game-type by playing a rip-off version, you should find the gameplay as irresistible as when it first came out. The only slight problem is joystick control, which isn't perfect for this type of game. Still, practice makes perfect, and there's a great GEOS mouse option.