It falls into the same league as Fawlty Towers videos, old episodes of Upstairs Downstairs and the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Special. The various adventures of Rockman (AKA Megaman) inspire the same nostalgia amongst games-players as certain TV shows do for a wide constituency of couch potatoes.

Or so Capcom think. This would explain why they've taken some of their oldest, and most successful, games, and converted them to the Megadrive. They must also be hoping that Rockman's charisma has transcended the old format frontiers, as until now he's been a character entirely in the service of the old enemy, Nintendo. However Megaworld, which is effectively a retrospective, is set to change all that, with no less than three Rockman adventures stuffed onto the cart.

An omnibus of Capcom's first three Rockman games, as they appeared on the NES some years ago.

Shoot and jump your way to the bosses of each Rockman stage.

The front end of the game allows you to access any of the three Rockman games independent of each other. There are three separate RAM slots to save your progress, although you can restart any game level again and again. You are free to select the levels in any order.

Rockman can usefully assume the powers of each boss he defeats, and employ them in subsequent stages. This lends a strategic element to tackling the levels, as the early bosses' powers may come in useful. Pausing the game brings up the powers menu. There is limited energy for each power, but this is easy to replenish.

1. Cutman
   The beginner level with lots of non-firing robots.
2. Gutsman
   Tricky trapdoor lifts are the first of many hazards.
3. Iceman
   He cometh. Well you do, over a host of slippery chasms and chilly pools.
4. Bombman
   Futuristic cityscapes surround the bomb-throwing boss.
5. Fireman
   Unsurprisingly most action here is of the molten metal variety, with fire sprite attacks.
6. Elecman
   Face the raw power of the 50,000 volt boss in his gleaming metal lair.

1. Heatman
   Lava by the litre as you traverse disappearing platform stepping stones and his evil slinky henchpersons.
2. Metalman As you'd expect lots of late clockwork nights fathoming out his conveyor belted and ratcheted lair.
3. Flashman
   Sounding similar to Clash, but actually denizen at the centre of a crystalline labyrinth of gem baddies.
4. Clashman
   Lots of brown pipework here on an ascendant journey to a boss in the heavens.
5. Bubbleman
   Megaman's left gasping for air in this series of aquatic chambers.
6. Airman
   High-flying frolics set in cloudbound screens, with perilous leaps between facial platform.
7. Quickman
   The boss likes to test your reactions with a series of instant-death laser gates to be avoided on each screen.
8. Woodman
   A level split between forest scenes and underground travails with fire-spitting dogs.

1. Shadowman
   Your common or garden hi-tech evil-doer until you reach the shadow globes, where all the lights go out!
2. Magnetman
   Use the powers of electromagnetic induction to drag Rockman from his proper course. The underground section is a mess of wires.
3. Sparkman
   More induction frolics in his large lair, with a series of twin pole arcing gates.
4. Snakeman
   No doubt as to his reptilian leanings with a snakeskin-lined nerve centre and serpentine sentinels.
5. Geminiman
   Strange, the influence of birds and penguins for the wild card entry of Rockman 3.
6. Hardman
   Rockman meets a rocky adversary. Bees and gorillas are just two types of his enlisted helpers.
7. Needleman
   His penchant for sharp points only becomes apparent later on, with the spiky booby traps.
8. Topman
   Not the shop we all know and love(?) but a bizarre collection of nuts and bolts and fat mechanical cats.

Megaman, sorry 'Rockman' for you sticklers, coming over to the Megadrive is like Morecambe and Wise abandoning the BBC for ITV, which they actually did in the 70s. In fact, they did it just when they got crap.

Rockman Megaworld isn't crap, it's actually a faithful compilation of the first three games, slightly tarted up with more background detail and fuller musical scores. However, the gameplay is a facsimile, and a facsimile of very old, very basic 8-bit platformers. It palls completely compared to the recent delights of Earthworm Jim, Headdy and Sparkster. The only incentive is size. With three complete and tough games, there is weeks of play in the collection.

Some of the stages are also quite compulsiev. But most gamers will feel they've just taken a spin through the wrong end of a Tardis when they see Megaworld, making it the preserve of nostalgia freaks.

In converting their vintage hero to the Megadrie, Capcom have looked to the NES version for the graphics, whilst the gameplay is more akin to the better Game Boy title. Sadly, if Megaman has a fault it is that it has dated too much. Burst scrolling, stilting gameplay and unforgiving sprite detection is something long forgotten (thankfully), and whilst there's no doubting the variety, basic faults like these prove too annoying. Capcom probably saw this as a chance to minic Mario All-Star's success, but it soon becomes obvious Rockman is a bit past it.

Graphics 64%
P. Crisp, complex backgrounds and plenty of variety across 24 stages.
N. No great graphical FX, and all sprites are titchy. An 8-bit feel.

Sound 71%
P. A constantly changing score over the game, almways pounding in the background.
N. No great sophistication to either music or FX.

Playability 82%
P. Simple and challenging. New powers to assume.
N. Not an immense variety of things to do, and every enemy is predictable.

Lastability 70%
P. S's a toughie. Prepare to tear hairs from your head on some sections.
N. The interest level slips when the lack of variety becomes apparent.

Value For Money 84%
P. Lots of game stuck onto a single cart. Compilations are a good idea for cash-starved gamers.
N. The games themselves are 8-bit wonders at 16-bit tariffs.

Overall 78%
Capcom roll out the 'classics' but they're starting to look a bit like crusty ones. Plenty of levels to get your rocks off though.