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The rate at which Sam is churning out compilations is phenomenal and he is now up to number 12. Unlike previous offerings, this latest four-game box of fun does not feature anything new, and all the games have at some time been released before. In fact, some are quite recent releases.

The first game, Skirmish, is a trip into a fantasy world in which you sit astride a giant ostrich and engage in medieval-style jousting contests with opponents riding giant buzzards. Weird!

It sets itself apart from other games by taking the idea of a two player game one stage further - you play not only against another human player, but also against a number of other computer opponents. Thus half a dozen combatants can be on the screen at once.

To joust you must fly into an opposing player making sure your lance is higher than his. A vanquished human opponent loses a life and re-appears somewhere else on the screen. A computer opponent however, falls off his mount and turns into an egg, while his riderless buzzard flies off into the distance. You must grab the egg quickly or it will hatch spawning a rider of the next grade.

Skirmish features three different types of computer-controlled rider - the bounders, wearing armour, are easy to defeat; the hunters are more cunning and the shadow lords are almost impossible to dismount.

When all the computer-controlled riders have been dismounted the next wave begins. Later stages add even more nasties: The lava troll that stalks along the bottom of the screen ready to grab any foolhardy contestant who comes too close, and the indestructible pterodactyl that flies backwards and forwards until the wave has ended.

The controls are simple: Left, right and flap. The last command causes your bird to flap its wings once. Press it repeatedly to hover and for all your worth to gain height.

The Last Ninja is a story of jealousy, power and revenge - of good versus evil and one man's struggle against overwhelming odds. It is easily the best martial arts cum adventure on the market (except for the recently released LAST NINJA 2).

An evil Shogun slaughtered the Ninja community on its once-a-decade visit to the sacred island of Lin Fen. A solitary Ninja had been left behind to guard the shrine, feed the cat and other such tasks. Now he has sworn to avenge the deaths of his comrades and re-build the Ninja empire.

You play Armakuni as he begins his assault on Lin Fen. There are 16 locations on the island and you must kill every guard and collect all available objects on each level before moving on to the next.

Level one is set in the wilderness, a barren wasteland of rocks, bushes and paths, but it is patrolled by the Shogun's warriors. Initially unarmed, you must pummel your opponents using only your fists and feet. Things become a bit easier as you round the first corner and find an abandoned sword - the first of five weapons. The instructions advise you to use the same weapon as your opponent, but I found the sword to be effective against most adversaries.

The Last Ninja is quite a departure from programmer Peter Scott's traditional style - the prolific author of countless cute platform games had really come up with the goods this time. Ninja is fast, furious and totally addictive.

In spite of its rather peculiar title, By Fair Means Or Foul (BFMOF) is in fact, a boxing game. It allows you to execute a variety of boxing moves, including body blow, uppercut, standard punch and duck punch.