Thunderblade (U. S. Gold) (Spectrum 48K/128K/+2)

The chopper is so sluggish by the time it actually responds to the joystick the tank has trundled past.

Rambo III (Ocean) (Commodore 64/128)

This is quite a major licence, and an unembarassing game, but nobody will be talking about it in six months time.

Lombard Rac Rally (Mandarin) (Atari ST)

Racing is fast and thrilling, with the best controls I've encountered in any computer race game.

Menace (Psygnosis) (Atari ST)

Menace is unlikely to win any awards for technical excellence of for the advancement of science, but it is a playable and addictive blast, with enough depth built in to make it last.

Robocop (Ocean) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

This is definitely the best film tie-in to date, and is an utterly superb game in its own right - don't miss it.

Zak McKraken And The Alien Mindbenders (Lucasfilm) (Commodore 64/128)

This game is very, very funny... Every now and again, the scene changes to a completely different one, giving the impression of watching a film.

Guerilla War (Imagine) (Amstrad CPC464)

A perfectly playable and entertaining coin-op has been chewed up and spat out as a flickering and stuttering mess.

Flying Shark (Firebird) (Amstrad CPC464)

Hmmm, on quite a few occasions my plane disappeared below the level of the screen and I was killed. How could I expected to dodge the flak if I couldn't even see my plane? Still, that design fault that was also in the coin-op original.

Total Eclipse (Incentive) (Amstrad CPC464)

The Amstrad version is quite fast and smooth, and colour is used to good effect.

Falcon (Mirrorsoft) (Atari ST)

The aircraft's design and manoeuvrability is spot-on and the cockpit is perfect, right down to the yoke and throttle under the pilot's left and right hands.

Exploding Fist Plus (Firebird) (Spectrum 48K)

Limited and disappointing... It simply isn't a very good game.

Battle Chess Vs. Colossus X (Interplay) (Amiga 500)

16-bit chess players no longer have any cause for complaint with software of this standard available.

Roy Of The Rovers (Gremlin Graphics) (Spectrum 48K/128K/+2)

This is a pathetic attempt at a football game. Graphics are lousy, gameplay is slow and frustratingly unresponsive, controls are slack and the fun level is dangerously close to non-existent.

Trivial Pursuit II (Domark) (Spectrum 48K)

The worst fault here is... you've seen it all before - it's absolutely no advance on the original computer version.

Neuromancer (Electronic Arts) (Commodore 64/128)

I'm not going to say that Neuromancer is the best game I've ever played - it's just very, very good. It takes a little while to fully understand exactly what is going on and what exactly you're doing, but it's worth it in the end.

Chrono Quest (Psygnosis) (Amiga 500)

Once started, it has a certain addictive quality, but I doubt that it will find much favour among those who enjoy a good, meaty, Infocom, Scrolls, or Level 9 adventure because it's just not logical. Like many French adventures.

Joan Of Arc (CHIP) (Amiga 500)

A fairly entertaining tactical wargame, with both highs and lows.

Times Of Lore (Origin) (Commodore 64/128)

Every once in a while a game appears that is just so dazzling, it makes the rest of the industry sit up and pay attention. Times Of Lore is such a game.

Castlevania (Konami) (Nintendo (US Version))

A great arcade adventure. You get plenty of game for your money, and it's both challenging and highly enjoyable.

Shanghai (Sega) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

I'm all for unusual adaptations of board games, but I'm afraid this one doesn't make a particularly thrilling or addictive computer game.

Great Baseball (Sega) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

If you're into baseball, you'll no doubt be very, very pleased with it. To me, it felt very passive, like taking a distant role and watching the little men on the field play the game.

Top Gun (Konami) (Nintendo (US Version))

An excellent flight game addition to the Nintendo library of games. You can start enjoying the game seconds after you plug it in.