Alter Ego 2: Dreamwalker (RetroSouls)

This really is one of the best Spectrum games I've ever played. Go get yourself a copy now.

Bubble Monkey Bros. (Gabriele Amore)

There is fun to be had and a two-player mode adds to the playability.

Sunbucket (Stonechat Productions)

A good game - although I question its long-term playability as I found that the repetition sinks in quite quickly.

Popeye (Gabriele Amore)

It looks pretty, but it's way too hard to play. I couldn't even complete the first screen despite repeated goes.

Donkey Kong Jr. (Gabriele Amore)

Gabriel Amore has released many great Spectrum games, but this isn't one of his best.

Godkiller 2: Exile (APSIS)

A potentially great game let down by a few simple oversights, like lack of in-game music.

El Stompo (Stonechat Productions)

A very addictive little game, this - one that can be filed in the special folder title 'one more go, honest Guv'.

Pietro Bros. (Noentiendo)

The character movement is jerky, making it hard to gauge jumps between the platforms or over enemies, and the whole screen flickers at times. Overall, technically impressive but not truly captivating.

Buzzsaw+ (Foxton Locks Mix)

This game is really great fun, and the real piece de resistance is still waiting in the wings... Just look at how beautiful the colours are and not a spot of colour clash in sight.

Castaway (Juan J. Martinez)

Castaway is a short game but nonetheless leaves you yearning for more.

Farmer Jack In Harvest Havoc (Cronosoft)

Excellent presentation and some jolly 128K tunes make this Mr. Do variant a lot of fun to play.

Crystal Kingdom Dizzy 2017 (Evgenly Barskiy)

A Dizzy game has never looked this good.

The Hobbit 128K (Melbourne House)

It's a great game, and now looks even prettier.

Sam Mallard: The Case Of The Missing Swan (Monument Microgames)

An atmospheric easy-to-play outing into the world of duck-noir... It may be short but there are a few head-scratchers along the way.

Bounty: The Search For Frooge (Paul Jenkinson)

This is a relatively short game, with not much to do to ensure your getaway right at the end, but it is enjoyable getting there.

Nick Roberts' Playing Tips

Tech Niche

Crashed And Burned

Barbarians (Cyningstan)

A strategy game that is accessible and playable from the start. While the graphics are a little simplistic they are uncluttered, clean and convey the narrative well.

Vulcan: The Mission Packs

Vulcan was already a superlative wargame and the Mission Pack ensures many more months of war gaming enjoyment.

How Crash Did It Monthly

Fist-Ro Fighter (RetroBytes)

Fist-Ro Fighter is an OK game, but frustrations soon start to creep in.

Explorer (Luca Bordoni)

At first glance this all-round classic shooter looks basic in design, but there is variety along the way and a challenge most ardent space adventurers would revel in.

Castlevania: Spectral Interlude (Aleksander Udotov)

A very ambitious game... The impressive graphics and clear, detailed backgrounds help bring the Gothic-horror vibe of the Castlevania world to life.

Dark Castle (kas29)

If a tricky test of dexterity and memory drives you... great. But for me Dark Castle needed more variety to make me want to keep coming back for more. Good music though!

Horace In The Mystic Woods (Monsterbytes)

A fine addition to the Horace family which will keep you busy for months.

In The Walls Of Eryx (Arkham House)

Not a maze game really... I gave it a few goes to see what came next, but I think it will need quite some patience to stick with it for longer.

Wake Me Up! (La Moderna Soft)

A game that doesn't take itself too seriously... The controls are responsive but perhaps a little too sensitive during some of the mini-games, which can really hinder a quick completion of each puzzle.

Zombo (Monsterbytes)

A great pick-up-and-play game for that instant burst of Spectrum gaming gratification. What it lacks in longevity it makes up for in undiluted short-term playability.

Complica DX (Einar Saukas)

Complica DX boasts some charmingly animated and multi-coloured sprites, as well as fantastic 128K tunes, but remains sadly tuneless for 48Kers.

The Dark (Oleg Origin)

An impressively smooth and colourful FPS with a pleasant balance of key-finding and monster-shooting to progress.

Vallation: Escape The Pirate Planet (Tardis Remakes)

It has just the correct amount of difficulty to make you work for your goal, the map is spread out well, and the rockets cause a satisfying level of bother.

Ooze (Bubblesoft)

From the classy title screen onwards, this is a Spectrum platformer of the highest order, with well thought out level design filled with gorgeous clear graphics, and a well animated main character, baddies and obstacles.

Foggy's Quest (Rucksack Games)

It's the type of game that we've seen many times before - a dodge the moving enemy, flip screen, collect the items and solve the puzzles adventure. Saying that, it has been done very well here.

Terrapins (Cronosoft)

An addictive game... One in which the difficulty ramps up quickly enough to test one's patience.

Pentacorn Quest (Jose Rodriguez)

The items that help with some of the obstacles is a nice touch, but the solutions are not always obvious and a lot of trial and error is involved to figure out just what to do next.

Snake Escape (Einar Saukas)

A very clever, fun game, and one that gets hard very quickly as you move up through the levels.