The compilation scene really does seem to be hotting up, with some excellent packages now available for money-conscious game fans. Thankfully, the latest addition to this over-crowded market is two-thirds ace, one third good, featurg three of the most revered Amiga games of all time.

First up is Frontier: Elite 2, David Braben's long-awaited sequel to the classic space trading game (reviewed elsewhere, actually). Opinion is divided over this game. Some think it was a load of over-hyped nonsense, while I think it was five years well spent. And, as I'm reviewing this package, only my opinion counts. Ha!

Frontier takes the original Elite premise and adds more bells and whistles than you'd expect to find at a bells and whistle convention attended by people dressed to the eyebrows in bells and whistles (That would be Morris Dancers, wouldn't it, Matt? - Haz.). Its galaxy is a binary rendition of our very own, which means there are literally thousands of different planets to visit, and millions of characters to 'interface' with.

The trading aspect has been relegated slightly (it is still there if you're into that kind of thing), as the game relies more on missions to hold the attention. In short, Frontier truly is a way of life, (If a bit of a sad one - Haz, Jo and real people everywhere.)

If Frontier and Civilization are the bread of this software sandwich, then Lemmings is the slightly suspicious filling. Okay, it seemed fresh when it was released (about a billion years ago now) but today it smells like someone's left the fridge door open while they were on holiday. Yes, it's a top little game and one that single-handedly invented a genre, but surely everyone's sick to the back teeth of the little buggers by now? As a stand alone budget release, Lemmings would have few enemies, but its sequel would have been more at home in this pack.

Yes, Civilization is another software croaky (originally appearing in August 1992, no less), but it has never been bettered and as such is an ideal candidate for a bit of the compilation treatment. On paper, your job in Sid Meier's classic is simple: evolve your populace from the Stone Age to the 20th Century and beyond. Of course, actually existing for thousands of years has its problems - dealing with technological advances, and pollution and population control, to name but three. But, should a spot of careful planning, the odd bit of common sense and a knowledge of all things historical prevail, you'll soon get the hang of it. The disk accessing is occasionally a little hard to stomach (yes, it's Super PC Conversion Land, my dear friends) but it was never meant to be a fast-paced game in the first place.

In theory, Award Winners Platinum should be receiving a three-figure review score, as each of its titles has generally scored 90 percent plus, But Lemmings - though still a great game - is old hat now, a battered trilby that most people will already have worn, in one of its many guises. Only for Amiga babies, methinks.