Poster Painter (Taskset)

The sound is good, as are the graphics, but the program is slightly repetitive.

Quinx (Supersoft)

One of the most original games I have come across in a long while.

Headache (Firebird)

A standard ladders and platforms game. It may be cheap but it doesn't have the kind of appeal that makes you want to shell out the cash.

Guzzler (Interceptor Micros)

Although the graphics aren't shattering, they're precise and pin-bright, and the music is fab... Excellent response from keyboard or stick, and it's easy enough to get into without tedious hours of practice.

Kikstart (Mr. Chip)

You get to choose lots of nice obstacles to fall from, hedges, barrels, buses, that kind of thing and the controls bear a passing resemblance to the real thing.

Flyer Fox (Tymac)

There are some strange ideas about the art of language but the graphics are pretty neat and all things considered, it's quite a passable game.

Quango (Interceptor Micros)

Because the maze is so damn sharp on the corners, it's tough to beat hazards which move so quickly.

Empire (Shards)

Pretty unexciting. The graphics are clear, the gameplay functional, but it all adds up to treacly action and the slow grind of territorial gains.

The Great Space Race (Legend)

A major disappointment; a retrograde step from a company that thus far gave us innovation and quality. Charging £15 for this should be considered the next worst thing to vandalism.

The Runes Of Zendos (Dorcas)

A neat, if fairly simple, animated graphics adventure combined with a rather less simple job of code-breaking.

Crypt Capers (Software Projects)

Left me sandy, dishevelled and totally addicted. Something of a treasure, I'd say!

Galactic Patrol (Warlock)

Compared to other blastaramas like Zalaga, this pales into insignificance. Potential Space Cadets must therefore be advised to approach with extreme caution.

Manic Miner (Software Projects)

An unforgiving game on any format... but it's nice to see they've chosen the Mode 1 screen display, a pig to animate characters on but twice the detail and worth the effort.

Devils Causeway (Warlock)

Little more than moving a figure along a line and reacting to a number of naff random challenges! It's totally pathetic.

Ledgeman (Software Projects)

Unfortunately, the various adversaries and obstacles in this clone are not particularly inventive and thus the addiction level is pretty meagre.

The Staff Of Karnath (Ultimate)

Staff Of Karnath is a first, and better than a lot of contemporary CBM stuff.

QL Chess (Sinclair/Psion)

By far the best piece of software for this computer yet to fall into our hands.

Suspect (Infocom)

Trying to sum up Infocom is rather pointless. In adventuring, nothing compares with text, when it's well done. And this is the best.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy (Infocom)

Best of all, lots and lots of the tightest adventure game prose I've even seen.

MSX Games: A First Look