Trivial Pursuit (Domark) (Spectrum 48K)

Trivial Pursuit on computer is as much fun to play as the original board game - and the graphics and sound add a whole new dimension.

Dan Dare (Electronic Arts) (Commodore 64)

A super-cool game which deserves all the credit it gets! Well done, Virgin.

1942 (Elite) (Spectrum 48K)

An extremely satisfying and very playable bit of arcade action.

Go For Gold (Americana) (Commodore 64/128)

A nice version of the tried and tested sports simulations.

El Toro (Americana) (Spectrum 48K)

A crude and barbaric game that should never have been released.

Olympiad '86 (Atlantis) (Spectrum 48K)

Lacks a lot in the playability stakes... This misses out on a medal in any event.

Thingy And The Doodahs (Americana) (Spectrum 48K)

The graphics are very basic and so is the sound. Save your money for a better budget game.

Scrizam (Americana) (Spectrum 48K/128K/+2/+3)

This game looks as if someone hasn't quite finished the fine tuning before it was released.

Alleykat (Hewson Consultants) (Commodore 64)

If you liked Uridium, then Alleykat's the next game for you.

Asterix And The Magic Cauldron (Melbourne House) (Commodore 64/128)

Even devoted Asterix fans like me will get pretty bored with the game after only a few goes. What a shame.

Druid (Firebird) (Commodore 64/128)

Druid is great, and those of you who like Gauntlet can have real fun without putting pounds into the arcade machines.

Droids (Anglosoft) (Commodore 64)

Graphically, Droids is quite nice and the sound is quite pleasing, but the idea of the game is not particularly original.

Nightmare Rally (Ocean) (Spectrum 48K)

Nightmare Rally is well worth checking out if you're a driving game freak. The only real gripe is the poor old Spectrum's sound.

Conquestador (Melbourne House) (Spectrum 48K)

A classic arcade adventure which would grace even the most choosy gamesters collection.

Glider Rider (Quicksilva) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

The graphics are really nice - just one colour but extremely effective.

Atari Smash Hits Volume 5 (English) (Atari 400/800/600XL/800XL/130XE)

Three out of four (Mediator's the bad apple) aren't bad.

Fungus (Players) (Commodore 64/128)

Not stunningly original but the gameplay is surprisingly addictive.

W.A.R. (Martech) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

A straightforward shoot-'em-up with a really nice feel about it. Completely different to the C64 version though!

Danger Mouse In Making Whoopie (Sparklers) (Spectrum 48K)

Graphics are average, sound is average and gameplay is basically frustrating. Nice idea - shame about the game.

Room Ten (CRL) (Commodore 64/128)

A new, and excellent, variation on the bat and ball game.

The Trap Door (Piranha) (Spectrum 48K)

This is a brilliant game - one of the most original and entertaining I've seen for ages.

Strike Force Cobra (Piranha) (Spectrum 48K)

The fortress is a 3D maze. Quite fun to explore, but graphically quite crude.

Iwo Jima (PSS) (Spectrum 48K)

A wargame which provides beginners with an easily played wargame at a low cost.

Johnny Reb II (Lothlorien) (Spectrum 48K)

A player needs patience, persistance, and a determination not to be defeated in getting his men to stand before the enemy - all good qualities for a general.

Theatre Europe (PSS) (Spectrum 48K)

It's the Spectrum version of last year's 'strategy game of the year' for the C64. The graphics are a bit flawed in this version; still, I suppose a nuclear airburst over a city isn't meant to look pretty.

Austerlitz (Lothlorien) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

This doesn't feel like a wargame at all. Marshals of France attack superior numbers with fractions of their own forces, march in the wrong direction, and generally behave in a manner which would get them all reduced to corporal, if that, in about five minutes.

Tennis (Imagine) (Spectrum 48K)

A well put together game - it plays well and looks good.

Football Manager (Addictive Games) (Atari 400/800/600XL/800XL/130XE)

Finally it's here on the Atari... Just goes to prove that you can't keep a good game down.

Moonlight Madness (Bubble Bus) (Spectrum 48K)

A succession of screens packed with ladders, platforms and puzzles follows. The puzzles are fairly entertaining, the graphics are fairly crude.

Deactivators (Reaktor) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Destined to become a cult game... I was hooked from the movement I started playing.

Head Coach (Addictive Games) (Spectrum 48K)

Head Coach will appeal to American Football fans with strategic minds and owners of Addictive's other classic soccer simulation.

Spiky Harold (Firebird) (Commodore 64/128)

A nice game, if you like running around collecting things.

Bigtop Barney (Players) (Amstrad CPC464)

Bigtop Barney? Bigflop Barney more like. It's all very mundane and gives budget software a bad name.

Velocipede II (Players) (Commodore 64/128)

Just a boring left-to-right scrolling game. Steer well clear.

Hole In One (Mastertronic Added Dimension) (Commodore 64/128)

Hole In One is fair fun for those who look back in fondness to the days when plus fours were fashionable, or for those who just like a simple round of computer golf.

Dracula (CRL) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Although an impressive text adventure, graphics are also featured in the game.

Leather Goddesses Of Phobos (Infocom) (Commodore 64/128)

Although the Infocom parser is as good as any you'll get, the more I play Infocom games, the more I discover that it isn't quite as clever as it's cracked up to be. Oh, and make sure you don't play this on the C64. Disk access on this machine is painfully slow!

Zzzzz (Mastertronic) (Spectrum 48K)

Not a game to get up a good typing speed on, but fun nevertheless, and extremely good value if you've enough patience with its quirks.

Moron (Atlantis) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

It has to be said Atlantis have done it again! There's plenty of adventure there for your £1.99 and it's worth playing!