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This 1986 Taito coin-op was converted by Elite only to be relegated to an 'extra' on a compilation, clearly being judged inadequate for a full-price release. In truth the coin-op was pretty bad, so Richard Underhill had his hands full with the conversion (later on he'd have better luck over Forgotten Worlds). The startlingly brief plot declines to explain why you're fighting hordes of ruthless warriors, but when does blood and gore ever need an excuse? The most surprising thing about Gurianos is the size of the characters, they're massive and while not brilliantly animated they look okay and the background scrolls smoothly enough.

The main problem is the gameplay. Hazards come in two forms, either missiles such as fireballs and swords, or other people. You're too big to dodge anything, so you have to move a shield to protect your legs, chest and head.

With lots of fireballs this can be tricky, but it's hardly sophisticated. For people it's simply a question of using your shield to deflect their sword blows and timing your own sword strikes to get past their shield.

There's special icons to boost your armour, give bonus points and by waggling the joystick you get temporary invulnerability, but that's it. Gurianos was a dated coin-op in '86 and with the absence of a competitive two-player mode (here you simply take turns) it soon gets very dull and repetitive.