Andy Dyer checks out the release of three new compilations from Virgin, System 3 and US Gold and takes a hard look at what's on offer this Easter...

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Virgin. Disk 14.99. Cassette 14.99

Why is it that programmers so often include loads of combat moves when only one of them is needed to complete the game? I nearly finished this by simply pushing the joystick up and firing repeatedly. Not exactly a stimulating experience. The sprites in this game are blacky and poorly animated, the backdrops are colourful but boring, and the gameplay absent.

It's a slight improvement over DD 1, making this just very bad, rather than atrocious.

You are Joe Mushashi, and using your Ninja skills, you must defeat The Ring Of Five, a terrorist network controlled by five powerful Ninjas. As far as gameplay and graphics go, turn to our review of Shadow Dancer, strip out the dog, and reduce everything else by about a fifth and you've got Shinobi. It's an entertaining horizontally-scrolling Oriental shoot-'em-up in the same vein so adding this to your collection will do nothing but enhance your street credibility.

EEEEK! Lucy the duck has been kidnapped by the evil Achacha (bless you). Her friends Bin and Pin are well put out by this and set out to save her. Hurrah! You control either Bin or Pin. You lead your cartoony duck through the streets of a cartoony town and beat up various opponents ranging from dog heads, to crocodiles and wolves, and finally Achacha himself. You can pick up extra weaponry on your way which should help defeat the end of level guardians.

Colourful and well animated graphics complement the gameplay as it rolls along at a fairly manageable and enjoyable pace. Not bad at all.

Ninja Warriors is a barely average horizontally scrolling kick-'em-up. Wave after tedious wave of enemy sprites attack as you stroll along seemingly endiess levels. The graphics are quite nice but this doesn't make playing it any less of a chore. Good grief, we've found a bad Ninja game.

A bit of a motley crew here. Shinobi is the real highlight, followed closely by Dynamite Dux. But that doesn't really justify forking out the money on what is basically a hotch-potch of games that have already had their day. Give it careful thought before you commit yourself.

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System 3. Disk 19.99. Cassette 15.99

Unbelievable. The first two games in this series of three, both on one compilation. Use your range of intricate combat moves, progress through an isometric 3D environment solving puzzles and beating people up. In Last Ninja, the other members of your brotherhood have been slaughtered by the evil Shogun Kunitoki. You travel to his island to wreak your revenge on the shogun and his followers.

In the second instalment, Kunitoki has transported himself to modern day Manhattan and established a new and evil empire. Fearing his power, the gods send the Last Ninja in hot pursuit and the battle starts all over again.

The graphics in both games are excellent. The sequel looks more complex with its busier screens. The same applies to the gameplay. All in all, great stuff.

Leap platforms, collect weapons, fight skeletons, demons, soldiers, Medusa - it's all here. Each level consists of a series of simple puzzles to solve. Kill skeleton, collect sword; kill demon, get trident - that sort of thing. The sprites are excellently animated and the presentation is of a very high standard. A wonderful game in its own right and as a component of a compilation it really shouldn't be mythed (groan!).

IK is the classic one- or two-player beat-'em-up. No scrolling, no mythological baddies, just straightforward one-on-one combat. The graphics are crisp and functional and the gameplay is accurate, with a large range of moves and smart animation. It's dead good and improves an already brilliant compilation.

Did you hear the one about the vile and hideous monster that evolved over the centuries in space? It went around destroying various galaxies with its devastating power. Not a particularly funny joke but it follows the plot of Dominator exactly. As the pilot of a single spacecraft it is your job to rid the galaxy of this menace, thus saving Earth. There are four levels of deep space delights and while this game won't exactly blow your socks off, it is competently programmed and fairly attractive visually.

Flimbo's Vest, the story of a man in search of warm undergarments [Er Andy, that's Quest - Ed]. You are Flimbo, a cute little lad with a spiffy baseball cap. All you have to do is jump around the platforms of this gorgeous-looking horizontally-scrolling world, collect scrolls and deliver them to the friendly wizard. Collect enough and it's on to the next level. There are various beasts and animals which you need to shoot in order to progress. Flimbo's Quest isn't going to win any awards for depth but it remains a rather jolly little heartwarmer for the laid-back gamester.

This is excellent. The worst game here is Dominator and even that is by no means bad. It really is huge value for money, and you know what we say when software is this good, don't you? Oh come on, it begins with C and ends in ORKER. Well, done... It's A Corker!

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US Gold, Disk 19.99, Cassette 15.99

The classic Capcom sequel to Ghosts 'N Goblins gets faithfully reproduced on the C64. The soundtrack is gorgeous and the graphics are very ghoulish. Guide your knight past a host of hazards including whirlwinds, demons, guillotines and deadly orchids. The gameplay is pretty much the same as the arcade, except a touch more difficult.

A frightfully good game for anyone's collection and that's for sure.

We reviewed this in our budget pages last month so if you really must buy it then get the budget jobby. I wouldn't buy it anyway 'cos it's a pile of old tosh. Yet another beat-'em-up in which you have to save some whining woman. Graphics, sprites and animation are all dreadful and the gameplay is an absolute nightmare. For Gawd's sake don't buy this compilation on the strength of Vigilante.

An odd little game, this. You take control of one of four warriors who must progress on horseback through legions of other horsemen and infantrymen before the final showdown with the evil warlord Thung Choc (second cousin to Walnut Whip). The graphics are unusual and quite well done but the screen can get a bit confusing at times. It's also incredibly difficult, but with the autofire switched on it can be a galloping hoot.

Here, you take control of Tsukikage, a tiny Ninja sprite who plans to kill an evil warlock - once he's fought his way through hordes of enemy Ninja, musketeers, wolves and Samurai.

Flip between four weapons for use in a variety of perilous situations, pick up extra arms and collect a spirit Ninja who helps ward off attacks. Graphics are small but well detailed, the soundtrack great and the gameplay fast. Sadly, the end-of- level baddies are too difficult to defeat, marring an otherwise excellent game.

In Hammerfist you can switch the main character between the male Hammerfist who has a fist like a hammer, and his female alter ego, Metalsis, who can perform spectacular backflips. Guide this hero(ine) through a series of locations solving puzzles and duffing up enemies. It takes some time to figure out what exactly is going on, but once you have, there's a feast of entertainment to be had.

The middle man of this month's selection. Apart from Vigilante, which is dreadful, the games range from pretty good to excellent. Think carefully about buying it, but if you do splash out, chances are you won't be too disappointed.