a, b, c... Lift-Off! (Longman)

A simple but useful program which young children will enjoy, though the speed of the Snap game is too fast for the lower age range.

Astroclone (Hewson)

A very good combination of three totally different game types.

Count About (Longman)

Visually appealing, and the sort of structured reinforcement approach it involves is quite useful in achieving its limited objectives.

The Custard Kid (Fun 'N Games)

Graphically it isn't stunning but it works well enough given the animation. Playability-wise, there isn't a great deal that's new in this one so it doesn't appeal to me that much.

Daley Thompson's Super Test (Ocean)

If Ocean really intend to squeeze every last drop of money out of Daley Thompson's name then I think it's about time they broke the mould and did something different rather than trying to re-capture past glory through mediocre products such as this.

The Deeds Of Glen Garry Hall/The Ashes Of Alucard (Terminal)

Although neither game is anything special they may be worth playing in order to win a digital watch.

Elite (Firebird)

You can compare the Spectrum version of Elite with the versions for other machines and smile with pride at what Firebird have produced.

Fairlight (The Edge)

The Edge have come up with a very good arcade adventure with 3D graphics that should rate in everybody's top 10.

Fighting Warrior (Melbourne House)

Perhaps a set of different weapons would have been better, but as it stands it's just a case of "nice graphics, shame about the game".

The Great Fire Of London (Rabbit)

If you keep your wits about you and a steady hand on your joystick, then this could be one of the best value for money buys you're likely to come across in the near future.

Hot Dot Spotter (Longman)

There was little motivation for the player, and the number skills involved could have been practised to greater effect with dice and bits of cardboard.

Impossible Mission (US Gold)

All the other original features of the game are here and the game plays fairly similarly, apart from the control being unresponsive and the difficulty in judging a jump.

Madcap Manor (Gilsoft)

In the highly competitive environment which home computer software has now become, I just don't know if Madcap Manor has got enough innovative features to appeal to any audience greater than that composed of adventure devotees.

Magic (Macmillan)

If you have an inclining towards wizardry then this package could be a fair introduction.

Marsport (Gargoyle Games)

Another excellent game from Gargoyle Games and definitely worth buying, if you're a fan of this particular game format.

Maze Craze (Partyline)

Might have gone down well as a listing in a magazine, but probably wouldn't be accepted by many publishers nowadays.

Orm And Cheep: Narrow Squeaks/The Birthday Party (Macmillan)

Both Orm And Cheep games got a definite thumbs down from all children who tested them. One five year old said they were the worst programs he'd seen.

Quann Tulla (8th Day)

A long and reasonably easy adventure game with long, detailed location descriptions.

Riddler's Den (Electric Dreams)

The characters are well animated and nicely drawn; sound is poorly used there are only a few spot effects here and there.

Robot Runner (Longman)

Instead of having to press the number keys for the correct answer, the player uses the two vertical cursors to increase or decrease the runner's speed to the number wanted.

Rupert And The Toymaker's Party (Quicksilva)

An average game that may appeal to ardent fans of Rupert paraphernalia, but is nothing stunning in its own right.

Seventh Cavalry (Black Knight)

Plays rather well and is not in the least sense pretentious or distasteful. The one feature which is annoying is the game's speed. Mainly because it is written in Basic, it often takes several seconds to respond to keypresses.

Starquake (Bubble Bus)

A whole range of devices and objects are scattered around the game, including secret passages, zap-rays, space locks and weird and wonderful artefacts.

Sum Scruncher (Longman)

This game provides nothing more than mechanical, repetitive exercises and children are unlikely to want to play it again and again.

Ten Pack Volume II (Automata)

Automata's Ten Pack presents excellent value for money... A couple of the games, Paradise In A Microdot and Nudgeit, are of a very high quality indeed, not really budget software at all.

Wild Words (Longman)

The children who tried this game for me didn't think much of it and rapidly lost interest.

Madcap Manor (Gilsoft)

In the highly competitive environment which home computer software has now become, I just don't know if it has got enough innovative features to appeal to any audience greater than that composed of adventure devotees.