Jack The Nipper (Gremlin Graphics) (Amstrad CPC464)

Very good indeed. Go and break open your little sister's piggy bank and buy it!

Heartland (Odin) (Spectrum 48K)

Animation is flawless. You take the role of an odd-job style character, all togged up in a smart manservant's uniform, complete with top hat.

Murder On The Mississippi (Activision) (Commodore 64)

It's a great game. A considerable challenge, but offering hours of reasonably aimless fun.

I.C.U.P.S. (Odin) (Commodore 64)

Not any good at all. You fly around a complicated cave system, zapping tomatoes and other strange objects.

Ghosts 'N Goblins (Elite) (Spectrum 48K)

A brilliant conversion... The scrolling on the C64 and Spectrum has to be admired.

Mission A.D. (Odin) (Commodore 64/128)

Mission A.D. certainly isn't for the strategy and mapping lobby, but it is a real joy to get straight into the important business of killing things again.

Mermaid Madness (Electric Dreams) (Spectrum 48K)

The graphics are colourful, the characters are cartoon-style - Myrtle herself in big, yellow and wobbles a lot. So if fat ladies - or in this case mermaids - make you smile, then Mermaid Madness could be just what you're waiting for.

Spellbound/Knight Tyme (Mastertronic Added Dimension) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

A gem of a game at a fantastic price. My advice - just buy it. I doubt you'll feel your money has been wasted.

Hercules (Alpha-Omega) (Commodore 64)

The movement is okay, but the whole sorry package isn't much better than a type-in listing.

Cricket (Bug Byte) (BBC/Electron)

There's very little cricketing satisfaction to be had here. But I liked the music, and that's something you don't get at Lord's.

Dragon's Lair (Software Projects) (Commodore 64)

Software Projects haven't used the graphics capabilities to the full in bringing Dragon's Lair to the small screen. Nevertheless, the game is fiendishly difficult to play.

Hijack (Electric Dreams) (Spectrum 48K)

It's hard enough having the CIA and FBI on my back but now the President's playing up. Things are looking very bleak. But there's nothing bleak in the future of Electric Dreams' arcade, strategy and simulation game Hijack. It's a gem.

Arac (Addictive Games) (Commodore 64)

It's another platform game and the objective is to make your way through the 100 screens to gain access to the Citadel.

Knight Games (English) (Commodore 64/128)

After playing through all the events, I came to a nasty conclusion; they were all near enough the same. Although you look different in each one, it gets very boring after a while.

Bombjack (Elite) (Commodore 16)

At its very best, Bombjack on the C16 is a terrible game. It's sad to see this sort of rubbish being churned out on the C16.

Harvey Headbanger (Firebird) (Amstrad CPC464/664/6128)

A great game... The characters are cute and swing around with some good animation. Some horrible loading music though.

Snodgits (Creative Sparks) (Spectrum 48K)

Extremely entertaining, and easy to get going with.

Trizons (Bubble Bus) (Commodore 16)

The best C16 game I've seen for a long while.

Toadrunner (Ariolasoft) (Amstrad CPC464)

This game is your sort of "Wally come Sabre Wulf" type and I think it may be set to become a classic.

Storm (Mastertronic) (Amstrad CPC464)

Fun for the map makers out there.

Booty (Firebird) (Commodore 16/Plus 4)

Booty was a good game on the Spectrum. But on the Commodore machines, sheesh, it's awful. It's not even worth two quid.

Mercenary II: The Second City (Novagen Software Ltd) (Commodore 64)

If you are interested in buying this one, check it out carefully before buying as it all seemed the same to me.

Summer Santa (Alpha-Omega) (Spectrum 48K/Plus)

Pretty basic graphics, pretty basic sound, pretty basic ideas - but pretty playable too!

Soccer '86 (Loriciels) (Amstrad CPC464)

Not the best soccer simulation on the market. Definitely well offside, Saint!

Dekorating Blues (Alpha-Omega) (Spectrum 48K)

Graphics are a bit small and fiddly... Not one that will keep you busy for long.

Dynamite Dan II (Mirrorsoft) (Spectrum 48K)

Dynamite Dan II is definitely an above average platform game, it uses nice colour graphics and also some rather nice music... A great challenge to play, and if you bought Dynamite Dan then you'll definitely want to get the sequel.

Dante's Inferno (Beyond) (Commodore 64)

Basically Dante's Inferno is a maze adventure. Maps are necessary to avoid being hopelessly lost.

Thrust (Superior) (BBC/Electron)

It's difficult to explain the sheer addictive pull of this game. It's all in the sheer skill and delicacy that's needed to pilot that spaceship.

Winter Events (Anco) (Commodore 16/Plus 4)

The graphics are excellent and the events - biathlon, bob sled, ski-jump, skating are guaranteed to cause maximum distress to your joystick. Great fun. Check it out. It's one of Anco's best.

Cosmic Battlezones (Ultimate) (BBC Model B)

If you're an Ultimate fan (and who isn't?), a good one for your shelves.

The Boggit (CRL) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Graphics are pleasing and effective, neatly edged with a couple of swords rampant, and not forced upon the player at every location.

A Mind Forever Voyaging (Infocom) (Amiga 500)

An enormous game, with a vast amount of text, and gives you the distinct impression that with A Mind Forever Voyaging, your mind can, indeed, voyage forever.

The Beer Hunter (Global) (Amstrad CPC464)

The overall impression is of a game that's fun to play, and not too difficult once you get used to operating the display system.

Mafia Contract II (Atlantis) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

The anit-violence brigade will be best advised to avoid this one, but if you fancy a cracking good blood and guts adventure, you find this hard to beat.

Treasure Tunnels (Plasma Touch) (Amstrad CPC464)

This is altogether a different and slightly strange adventure, in which you find yourself stuck in an attic, with nowt but a magazine, Ninja sword, lead miniature, a bar of soap and a dressmaker's dummy. You're tired, but can't seem to sleep. Hmm... very strange, and not easy at all!

The Graphic Adventure Creator (Incentive) (Spectrum 48K)

A conversion of Sean Ellis's original program, by Brendan Kelly, this has the same easy editing facilities. This version faithfully reproduces the original.

Spy Trek Adventure (Americana) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Although quite enjoyable, it is too jokey to give the right atmosphere for its subject.

Cloak Of Death (Atlantis) (Atari XE/XL)

It has only 26 locations, but each is packed with some very sneaky puzzles, the answers to which may have a deeper meaning that you might, at first, realise.