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No compilation is complete without a shoot-'em-up game and the first item on this double cassette pack, Galaforce, is one of the best.

A space invaders-type with wave after wave of aliens intent on destruction, each one having its own attack pattern to add to your difficulty.

Some waves have motherships which release reinforcements until destroyed, while others conceal armed bombers hiding behind other craft.

Control is by keyboard or joystick and excellent sound and graphics make this a game you'll be playing after midnight.

The second game is Thrust, where you manoeuvre your spaceship over a Power Pod and activate your tractor beam before moving on to the next planet in the Empire.

Sounds easy? The catch is that the pods are guarded by an efficient planetary defence system usually located in deep tunnels.

Having eliminated the guard posts and hooked the pod, your troubles start as the pod tends to swing like a pendulum causing problems in the confined tunnels.

The game claims 72 different screens but I have only completed a few so far as they become progressively more difficult.

Karate Combat comes next, using either a joystick or a number of keys in various combinations to allow 16 different karate moves or blows.

There is a practice mode soyou can tackle a target that doesn't hit back. Once you feel confident other modes allow you totackle a friend or a computer-controlled opponent.

There are 16 of these but I've only seen one, Tushima Nakato. In every bout so far, no sooner have I straightened up from my ceremonial bow than he has knocked me into the middle of next week. But with a little more practice...

The graphics are excellent and realistic enough to satisfy even the most bloodthirsty.

The second cassette starts with Stock Car which is one or two players against a number of computer-controlled cars on a choice of six different circuits.

The game is very dated, being one of Micro Power's early offerings, but it is still very playable and has been a well-used item in my collection for some years.

The final game is Moon Mission, where you carry stranded astronauts through an asteroid belt to the top of the screen.

Like the previous game, although the graphics are adequate it lacks the quality of recent releases and they are obviously makeweights to the compilation.

Despite my comments on the last two games I am very impressed with this collection - any compilation containing three first class games has to be a good buy.

Beejay