Pacland (Grandslam) (Commodore 64/128)

A faithful reproduction of an old but gold arcade game, reproducing the large colourful graphics and the jolly if a little frustrating tune to a tee.

Rolling Thunder (U. S. Gold) (Commodore 64/128)

There's nothing good about this other than the silly dance performed by Maboo's men before play begins. At least it's funny - which is more than can be said for the game as a whole.

Blood Valley (Gremlin) (Commodore 64)

Bearing in mind that there are not many two-player games around, this one makes a pretty good stab at fitting the bill. And the game is pretty big, definitely in the midnight oil league.

Target Renegade (Imagine) (Commodore 64/128)

Hugely entertaining and ample justification for a sequel. It develops the theme, and improves the gameplay no end on the original.

Card Sharks (Accolade) (Commodore 64)

Despite its attempts to be different, Card Sharks falls into the same trap as all the other gambling games. After a short while it becomes relentlessly dull.

Rimrunner (Palace) (Commodore 64/128)

I enjoyed this. A nice piece of gratuitous violence never goes amiss with me.

Arkanoid Revenge Of Doh (Imagine) (Commodore 64/128)

There's plenty of good, clean fun to be had here - if you haven't yet tired of the genre.

Troll (Outlaw) (Commodore 64/128)

Troll is OK, but that's about as far as it goes. Everything about it is average - graphics, sound, gameplay - the lot.

The Bard's Tale II: The Destiny Knight (Electronic Arts) (Commodore 64)

Will keep you occupied for the next eighteen months... and who knows what Electronic Arts will have come up with by then.

Magnetron (Firebird) (Commodore 64)

I like Magnetron. Weapons are pretty imaginative; frisbee-like disks, boomerangs, mortars and a bomb that bounces round corners.

A.T.F. (Digital Integration) (Commodore 64)

If you're after a flight sim with knobs on, look no further.

Frightmare (Cascade) (Commodore 64)

Frightmare is a good game if hard for its type (platform). If you like this sort of thing, check it out.

Demon Stalkers (Electronic Arts) (Commodore 64)

As a Gauntlet lookalike with knobs on, Demon Stalkers isn't too much to write home about, particularly as the graphics and sound are nothing special. But as a DIY Gauntlet construction set which happens to have a 100-level game as a bonus, it's got to be good value.

Star Ways (Diamond) (Amiga 500)

Pffff, if Diamond were happy to do a clone they should have at least tarted it up a bit. 16-bit versions of old 8-bit games just won't do when they're hacked over like this.

Enlightenment: Druid II (Firebird) (Amiga 500)

The graphics are excellent... The movement and scrolling is smooth... And this is a big game with a great deal of various objectives to keep in mind (shooting bolts, finding and casting spells, controlling elementals, trying to find Acamantor's hideout). Keep your wits about you!

Battleships (Elite) (Amiga 500)

A slightly more polished version of a game you could buy for a couple of quid for an 8-bit machine, but which'll cost you £20 just because it's for the Amiga.

Star Wars (Domark) (Amiga 500)

Star Wars is an accurate conversion in most respects... However, in the stage where you fly over the surface of the battle station the whole game slows down to about half speed.

Destroyer (Epyx) (Amiga 500)

This looks like, plays like, and sounds like a Commodore 64 game. Unfortunately at £24.95 on the Amiga it is priced very differently.

Bubble Bobble (Taito) (Amiga 500)

An extremely playable game which will appeal to a variety of ages.

Ferrari Formula 1 (Electronic Arts) (Amiga 500)

This has got more than any other racing game. The only thing that comes close is Revs and this is a lot more fun and a lot less hassle to play.

Strike Force Harrier (Mirrorsoft) (Amiga 500)

Mirrorsoft have released another cracker.

Sidewinder (Arcadia) (Amiga 500)

Miss this and you should be condemned to a life of playing play-by-mail games during a postal dispute!

Barbarian (Palace) (Amiga 500)

Barbarian on the C64 was great; this 16-bit incarnation is even better. It's graphically superior, a lot faster and smoother, and the use of sampled sound effects ice a beautifully prepared cake.

Power At Sea (Accolade) (Commodore 64)

A well thought out and constructed game but it falls down very badly on the action sequences.

Oh No! (Silverbird) (Commodore 64/128)

Just about qualifies for the above average category.

Train Robbers (Firebird) (Commodore 64/128)

Really you'd be well advised to put your money towards something more appealing.

The Krypton Factor (TV Games) (Commodore 64)

An idea for a TV game licence that should have been ditched. A complete waste of time.

Ikari Warriors (Elite) (Commodore 64/128)

The coin-op was actually nothing special, and its popularity was more down to, what was at the time, the fairly unique simultaneous two-player action, as opposed to any dazzling gameplay elements. This conversion is just as playable, for the same reason.

Time Fighter (CRL) (Commodore 64)

An interesting addition to a well-worn format.

Thrust II (Firebird) (Commodore 64/128)

Great fun and is enhanced enormously by Ubik's music, 'cute' sprites and nice touches like the high score table of Today's Grooviest Thrusters.

U.C.M. (Mastertronic Added Dimension) (Commodore 64/128)

Mastertronic's chavvy answer to Ikari Warriors - only considerably worse. It's well presented, with a great title tune, but it plays like a brick.

Championship Wrestling (US Gold) (Commodore 64/128)

A must for grapple fans everwhere.

Dan Dare (Ricochet) (Commodore 64/128)

Re-release of the month - no problems.

Halls Of The Things (Firebird) (Commodore 64/128)

Wow, a conversion of a four-year-old Spectrum game with zero improvements to suit the C64. Someone, somewhere, is taking the piss.

Battle Valley (Rack-It) (Commodore 64/128)

The good graphics and first class presentation barely compensate for the mediocre gameplay in this run-o-'the-mill shoot-'em-up.

Scout (Mastertronic) (Commodore 64/128)

Turns out to be a niggly but addictive blast.

Tanium (Players) (Commodore 64/128)

The graphics are dreary, so's the sound - and so's the gameplay for that matter (Zzz).

Street Machine (The Power House) (Commodore 64/128)

Forget it. Even just two quid for this is still asking too much.

Herobotix (Rack-It) (Commodore 64/128)

Trundling around the maze-like corridors of the enemy space base, shooting robots in an attempt to locate six pieces of a particle destroyed and destroy a super computer is tedious.

Wolfman! (CRL) (Commodore 64/128)

Rod Pike's touch is getting surer. A sure-fire winner.