Moved by the tragedy in Ethiopia, Bob Geldof set up the now famous Band-Aid Appeal Fund. He set about obtaining the voluntary services of a host of famous names in the pop world, culminating in the release of Do They Know It's Christmas? The record was one of the biggest sellers ever and raised staggering sums.

The Softaid compendium costs £4.99 and contains not only ten eminently playable games but the original Band-Aid hit record too. At just under fifty pence a game and with the record thrown in free, Softaid is excellent value. But, more important, all proceeds go to the Bob Geldof Ethiopian Appeal Fund.

Kicking off the Commodore 64 compendium is Gumshoe (A&F). This platform game has Gumshoe searching a tower block for the kidnapped daughter of a millionaire. If a space shoot-'em-up is more your style, try Beam Rider (Activision), where your craft can only fire along the lines of a grid.

Still in space, interplanetary trading for up to eight players - with a dash of arcade action thrown in - is the theme of Star Trader (Bug Byte).

Another space battle, Gyropod (Taskset) sports some superb graphics while China Miner (Interceptor) is a highly challenging platforms and ladders game that should have you playing into the small hours.

Up in the air, but closer to home, Kokotoni Wilf (Elite) has you flying through dinosaur country in search of the legendary Dragon Amulet. If trundling a gold-laden wheelbarrow through caves while pursued by outlaws is your cup of tea, Gilligan's Gold (Ocean) should appeal.

Fred (Quicksilva) is a delightfully drawn explorer who tramps the catacombs while avoiding comical animated spooks. In Falcon Patrol (Virgin Games), you must prevent jets destroying your installations by taking to the skies in your own superbly animated fighter plane.

The last game brings no relaxing wind-down: Flak (US Gold) is an all-action game in which you fly a plane over various fortified strongholds in an attempt to reach and destroy the enemy's computer control centre.

The Spectrum compendium also contains Kokotoni Wilf and Gilligan's Gold.

In a sort of witch's Q-Best, Spellbound (Beyond) has your toad hopping around a pile of cubes, dodging demons and the witch's blast. You can swap a witch's broom for a space-going super-bike and shoot anything that moves in Starbike (The Edge); The Pyramid (Fantasy) has you encased in a space bubble and blasting through 120 chambers on 15 levels.

On the piste again? Horace Goes Ski-ing (Melbourne House) takes you across motorways and down ski slopes.

Ant Attack (Quicksilva), famous for its instantaneous four camera angles, has you rescuing your partner for a giant-ant-infested walled city. Great stuff.

What must be the best of the battle-zone type games is here with 3D Tank Duel (RealTime), a superbly animated tank battle. This game alone makes the compendium worth buying.

To complete the half-score, comes Jack and the Beanstalk (Thor) with colourful and imaginative graphics and Sorcery (Virgin Games), a multi-screen arcade adventure.

Excellent value and all in a most worthy cause. Buy one.