These are four games included on this BBC Soft compilation. Taking them in turn:

This only just qualifies as a game of strategy, but is very good with semi-real action. What you have to do is to destroy the alien race known as the Kyrons. The way you go about this is to use your ship 'Endeavour' to go to various sectors of the galaxy to destroy the Kyrons, before they attack you.

The Teletext display is simple but effective. You can choose between three levels of difficulty and your aim is to destroy about 50 Kyron ships in a specific time. There is quite a lot of position play but there a great deal of ship encounters.

There are three possible views of where you are, the local sector, eight parsecs by eight parsecs in which stars, bases (where energy is recouped) are shown. Then, there is a long range scan showing the surrounding eight sector and finally, there is the galactic situation based on information that you have discovered situation based on information that you have discovered through the long range scan.

This galaxy you have to clean up is eight sectors by eight sectors. The dangers of this game are running out of energy or being destroyed by the Kyrons. Their weapon is the phaser - a kind of energy weapon which irradiates in all directions and depletes your shield energy - which you set through one of the nine controls:

1 moves you about; 2 gives a long range scan; 3 phaser energy (depletes their shields); 4 Photon torpedos - you have ten, which are directional and destroy whatever is in their path; 5 sets your shield level to protect you from phaser energy; 6 gives you short range scan; 7 Galactic situation; 8 freezes the game; and 9 lets you relinquish command.

Apart from the lack of sound, this is a very good and engaging game.

This is a very interesting game which contrasts with Galaxy in that it is very simple in operation but complicated in strategy. This ancient game could be called Mega Noughts And Crosses.

The differences are that the grid is 19 by 10, not three by three, and the aim is to get five in a row of your counters. You simply move your cursor with the cursor keys and press Return when you want to place your counter and see where the computer wishes to put its counter.

A nice touch is that the computer's counter flashes a while so you can see where it went. The computer is a good opponent and the clear clean graphics are good, but again there is a lack of sound in the program apart from the ovation at the end.

This is a game well transferred from board to computer and at the average price of £2.50 in real terms, it is cheaper than the board game in the shops.

The computer version of a game which has brought a deal of money to people who revived the ancient game of Bulls And Cows. In this game your opponent thinks of a four figure number and once you have made a guess at it, they tell you how many figures you got in the right place and how many in the wrong place, and you have to deduct which numbers these are, and thus the number he or she is thinking of.

A simple game which has been given a little twist in this program in that you guess the computer's number while it guesses yours. The game is also lightened by coloured numbers to help you if you want to play with colours. The display is quite good but looks a little cramped. The colours and numbers could have been accompanied by sound for more recognition.

This is a game also as ancient as Gomoku and Masterbrain. The idea is to capture the most counters on the eight by eight grid.

The way to capture counters of the opponent is to have your counter one side of the opponent and then one on the other, and as you capture a counter, it is turned over and becomes one of yours.

The game is complicated, and the winner is the one with more than 32 counters at the end. There is a ? message for you to decide whether the computer plays against itself, against you, or you can play against your own opponent.

All in all, there is very good value in this pack since to buy three of the games in the shops would add up to about £15 at least. Also, these programs are not only great for accessibility and easy play but good on strategy.

Like the tagline for Reversi, "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master" - that is what games of strategy are about so the inclusion of Galaxy is a little advised, even though it is a very good program. It is a pity that sound is not employed apart from the winning ovation at the end.

But, all in all, a pack that is well worth buying.