Mermaid Madness (Electric Dreams)

Good graphics, but the gameplay is harmed by frustrating situations in which the mermaid gets stuck against a creature or dies instantly after a lot of hard work.

Impossible Mission (US Gold)

A late conversion to the Amstrad... 30 different devilish rooms, and puzzles that are tough but absorbing.

Dan Dare (Virgin)

Mean problems, great graphics and good addictive fun... The speech-bubbles perfectly catch the mood of the original comic-strip.

Mission Omega (Mind Games/Argus Press)

There's plenty to do and this should present most intrepid explorers with a tough challenge.

Rescue On Fractalus (Activision)

Gameplay becomes repetitive quite quickly, but this higher levels do provide a tough enough challenge to keep you occupied.

Doomdark's Revenge (Beyond)

A massive 6,000 locations. Superb panoramic views... 128 possible characters to control and totally absorbing to play. The combination of adventure, war game and strategy should appeal to everyone.

Johnny Reb II (Lothlorien/Argus Press)

Despite a detailed 'front end', I found the game lacked variety and depth... It really needs a longer game time with more strategy involved.

Nuclear Defence (Amsoft)

Graphics are weak... After one game you'll have seen all there is to see, the only lasting interest coming from the higher difficulty levels.

Desert Fox (US Gold)

The game is basically a combination of several other games to create five arcade sequences and a simple strategy task... The game as a whole is pretty silly.

Powerplay: The Game Of The Gods (Arcana)

When played by four players, be they newcomers or old hands, it can be very absorbing, competitive and above all fun.

The Fourth Protocol (Century/Ariolasoft)

If you're looking for a challenge, this is ideal. But it won't be to everyone's taste because it can be quite tough going.

Qabbalah (Amsoft/Gem)

Wandering around, searching fruitlessly for objects, while not being able to see your character half the time is not my idea of fun.

Stainless Steel (Mikro-Gen)

The most frustrating thing about this is that so much effort has gone into producing such a poor game.

International Rugby (Artic)

This just isn't rugby; it's more like a soccer game with a couple of frills.

Speed King (Mastertronic)

An excellent game... The opponents aren't very realistic in their behaviour but your bike is great to control and responds well.

International Karate (Endurance Games)

The graphics of the fighters are small and overlap confusingly - but at least they beat each other senseless in front of some great backdrops.

The Boggit (CRL)

Delta 4 have been instrumental in establishing the satirical adventure as a serious contender for the empty spaces on your shelf, and this game is up to their highest standards.