Amsoft must have now turned out more Roland games that there are starring Cuthbert. Latest is Roland Ahoy!, and it's not a platform game like some of the others. You control Roland, or his ship. The aim is to collect as much treasure as you can, and avoid the mines, monsters and human malevolence. The graphics are fairly smooth, if chunky, but the game lacks complexity.

Rollaball is a curious little number - you must move a weight around a pivoted table, causing a ball to follow the maze-like path. It's a bit like those pocket ball-bearing and hole games, but with an unlikeable price-tag of £6.95.

If you've never got round to hacking in the listings in Personal Computer World, you could try the PCW Games Collection. It's a compilation of the best games published in the magazine. It will save you hours of frustration and costs a measly £4.95. The programs are also available in a book of the same name. It has instructions on playing the games, the program listings and detailed descriptions on how the programs work - so you can pick up hints on programming.

Ghostbusters is here at last - and before the film goes on general release. The storyline is simple: a group of parapsychologists set up a service busting ghosts with plague the city. Your aim is to prevent a demonic invasion of New York. With the money from destroying ghosts you equip yourself with devices like a Ghost Vacuum, Ghost Traps and a Laser Confinement System. The final battle begins when you can get two ghostbusters to the Temple of Zuul. The graphics and sound (the hit song theme) are good, and the game is compulsive and far from easy, though it may lack long-term appeal. It's a possible chart topper but strong competition is likely before Christmas.

If you fancy struggling through a jungle you'll like The Search For King Solomon's Mines, an adventure with graphics. The images are drawn quickly, but they're simple and chunky. Your task is to find the fabulous mines - but can you survive the perils of the jungle? Armed with five items selected from Trader Jim's Outpost, you set off...

Skyline Attack is from the new software branch of Century Publishing. It's a variation on the Defender theme, and would have been pretty good if released around March or April. Now it looks dated, the graphics are nothing to write home about and although it's a competent and difficult version there just isn't the variety we've come to expect.

As a programming toolkit, SuperBasic looks useful. It has all the normal commands like AUTO, RENUM, POP, DEEK and DOKE, as well as commands for sound and graphics. There are 36 extra commands, but Interceptor Micros' toolkit has 72 commands and also costs £9.95...

Skooldaze is among the most original games we've seen for some time. And the graphics are incredibly detailed while the whole thing's a hoot from start to end. As Eric your aim is to hit shields handing on the school walls and find the code for the staffroom safe so you can nab your school report.

However, life is complicated by the lines you're given for every misdemeanour - 10,000 and you're expelled. The attention to detail is fantastic: uniformed children can be seen writing on blackboards, you can knock teachers down with well-aimed catapult shots, then bounce pellets off their heard while they're sitting on the floor and much, much more. Incredibly difficult, original - a real winner.

Ultimate's hero Sabreman features again in Underwurlde. You come across a host of furniture and beings in your underground quest. It's basically a maze/platform game, with superb animation, fast, amusing action, and a plethora of rooms. Another potential smash for Christmas and after.

Of course, Christmas sees a rush of software, as publishers try to snaffle a slice of the Christmas cake. Some new games are excellent, some not so good. Among the latter are some of Century's. Take Tachyon Command, for example: a space shoot-em-up where you control a small formation of white triangles, called space ships, at the foot of the screen. These can turn (in unison) and fire at waves of incoming aliens.

Best of the bunch is Warlords, a sort of Spectrum version of Dragon game Buzzard Bait. It's a platform game where your ostrich can be made to fly you to the different levels (but aren't ostriches one of the few flightless birds?). These games look and feel like budget games, so why are they sold at £6.95?