The Living Daylights (Domark) (Amstrad CPC464)

When it comes down to it, this is really just a scrolling shoot-'em-up which could be fixed to any licence or name. That doesn't make it a bad game. It is in fact quite playable and enjoyable.

Challenge Of The Gobots (Reaktor) (Commodore 64/128)

It seems so strange that Ariola have released this. Usually you get a thoroughbred from the great Ariolasoft stables, but this I'm afraid is just an old nag.

Slap Fight (Imagine) (Commodore 64/128)

Simple. Smooth. Very addictive. A winner.

Bubbler (Ultimate) (Spectrum 48K)

Bubbler looks nice, sounds intriguing and is certainly challenging.

The Fifth Quadrant (Bubble Bus) (Amstrad CPC464)

While not the most original idea, The Fifth Quadrant is very playable and should appeal to all those who like problem solving, three-dimensional maze games. Nice graphics.

Election (Virgin Games) (Commodore 64/128)

A lot more fun than watching a party political broadcast and despite being topical will probably outlast your average arcade adventure.

Quartet (Activision) (Spectrum 48K)

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... That's about all I feel like saying about this offering from Activision.

Wonder Boy (Activision) (Commodore 64/128)

Reasonably addictive and pretty playable. And miles better than the C64 version of Enduro Racer, Activision's last coin-op offering.

Exolon (Hewson Consultants) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

The graphics are excellent... The plot outline is fairly simple but the game itself is very addictive to play.

Micronaut (Nexus) (Spectrum 48K)

The scrolling is amazingly fast for the Spectrum - you can make things move very rapidly. And then there's the terrific sense of being enclosed by the tunnel walls. All very atmospheric.

Max Torque (Bubble Bus) (Commodore 64)

Programmer Martin Webb has put together an excellently presented and fun-to-play race game. Great graphics, good sound, good game.

Plasmatron (Avantage) (Commodore 64/128)

A good looking and fairly addictive blaster.

Mag Max (Imagine) (Commodore 64/128)

By no means a classic - but well presented, with good graphics and nice sound. Very challenging and very playable.

Uranians (Bug Byte) (BBC/Electron)

I have seen a lot better than this. It's occasionally liable to crash in such a way that you have to reload from scratch if you want to continue.

Firetrack (Electric Dreams) (BBC Model B)

If you like your action fast and furious, with a dash of variety, add Firetrack to your collection without more ado.

Spy Vs. Spy: Arctic Antics (Beyond) (Commodore 64/128)

As with the others, it's playable and great fun. I spy another winner.

Hunkydory (Bug Byte) (BBC/Electron)

It's familiar stuff, but not too bad... The graphics are a bit crude and blockish, but colourful and lively with busy screens.

Starquake (Bubble Bus) (BBC Model B)

The graphics are pretty good, nifty with smooth animation. The maze design reminds me of Repton, with gravity. The sound is lively too.

Despotik Design (ERE Informatique) (Amstrad CPC464)

A crisp and colourful game that should keep you off the streets for a few days.

Zynaps (Hewson Consultants) (Spectrum 48K)

A nifty little game. But it's a shame that, if you get killed, you have to start again right back at the beginning.

Hades Nebula (Nexus) (Commodore 64/128)

It's fast, it's furious, and it's fun. Probably the most addictive shoot-'em-up of '87 so far.

Revs II (Firebird) (Commodore 64)

Excellent fun. Man, machine and computer in harmony.

Trio Hit-Pak (Elite) (Amstrad CPC464)

Great Gurianos gets my top vote but when you get three other good playable games for £2.99, Trio becomes a must purchase.

The Final Matrix (Gremlin Graphics) (Spectrum 48K)

A combination of game concepts put to good use. It's Knight Lore, Nexor, Terror Of The Deep and Star Raiders rolled into one!

Grand Prix (Superior/Acornsoft) (BBC B/B+/Master 128)

Sound, colour and graphics are all good, with smooth animation. The 'radar' at the bottom of the screen tells you where you are and warns you about bends and bridges.

Vulcan (Cases Computer Simulations) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Although the computer is a worthy opponent, I find it works better as a two-player game, and should satisfy even the most critical of wargamers.

Battle Of Britain (PSS) (Spectrum 48K)

The arcade sequence gives the view from a Spitfire cockpit in attacking enemy formations.

Battlefield Germany (PSS) (Spectrum 48K)

I selected the options and waited. The computer began to move Warsaw Pact forces across the battle screen, at times bleeping to itself excitedly... For 37 minutes. It then asked me if I wanted to make my first move. By that time, no thank you, I did not.

Zulu War (Cases Computer Simulations) (Spectrum 48K)

The basis of a really excellent series of games set in the ancient period.

Bismarck (PSS) (Spectrum 48K)

This is an improvement on the usual arcade screen offered by the PSS Wargamers Series. The main skill in the battle screen is manoeuvring the ship and estimating the range to the enemy target.

Yankee (Strategic Simulations Inc.) (Spectrum 48K)

The combat mechanism favours the attack very much over the defence... If attacked, the computer opponent tends to draw into a defensive huddle which is easily outflanked or by-passed. As a result, this wargame is virtually unwinnable.

Gettysburg (Strategic Simulations Inc.) (Commodore 64/128)

My main criticism of the game is that it takes so long and plays so slowly - at least as slowly as a board game.

Battalion Commander (Strategic Simulations Inc.) (Commodore 64)

The duties of a battalion commander in combat are not, in modern war, very different from those of a company commander. To this extent, Battalion Commander is rather more limited than Combat Leader and less good in terms of playability.

Passengers (Infogrames) (Amstrad CPC464)

Passengers On The Wind may not be the traditional type of adventure we're used to, but at least it's something new and a pointer to what could happen in the future.

Temple Of Terror (U. S. Gold) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Altogether, this is not a bad adventure, but it lacks that subtlety and cryptic quality seen recently from Adventure Soft.

Dungeons, Amethys, Alchemists (Atlantis) (Amstrad CPC464)

An adventure that takes you from Sandy Shaw to the Heights of Absurdity in an adventure that is genuinely funny and, at times, amusingly outrageous!

Magnetic Moon (Electron Adventure Club) (Acorn Electron)

There are a number of timed messages that have to be read quickly, or are lost forever.

Forgotten City (H.A.W.K. Adventuring) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Neatly presented on screen, with some nice detailed pictures and a smart character set, this is an above average homegrown adventure.

The Crown (Wrightchoice) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

The first in a three-part series, and not bad value at all.

School Caper (Magic Realm Games) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

A comic game by A. P. Innes, with plenty of lavatory humour in the lavatories, this Quilled effort suffers from some of the slowest, plainest and least colourful graphics I have yet seen, and a messy text display.

Tracker (Rainbird) (Atari ST)

If you're after a first rate strategy/arcade game... and cracked using countless different strategies, all of them hard to pull off, then make tracks for this one.

Crystal Castles (Atarisoft) (Atari ST)

ST Crystal Castles is as addictive as ever and shouldn't be missed by any self-respecting ST arcade freak.

Xevious (U. S. Gold) (Atari ST)

Although fun to play for a while, Xevious is an altogether rather flat experience, lacking the punch and addictive qualities of the original game.

Airball (Microdeal) (Atari ST)

Airball is the first isometric arcade adventure, written specifically for the Atari ST, and has hit written all over it!

Outcast (Mastertronic) (Atari ST)

The screen handling gets a little slow when there's a lot happening at once, but apart from that, and considering the price, Outcast is a reasonable blast and well worth the money.

Leaderboard Tournament (U. S. Gold) (Atari ST)

A double excuse to drive down to your local shop and put one in your pocket - it'll go a fairway to keeping you occupied for ages.