Hammerfist (Activision) (Amiga 500)

Marvellous graphics, marvellous sounds, marvellous gameplay. In a word, marvellous.

Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters (Domark) (Amiga 500)

Slick, brilliant and ultra-playable.

Dynasty Wars (U. S. Gold) (Atari ST)

A slick, graphically brilliant and very playable game which offers an unusual twist on the beat-'em-up theme. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's well worth checking out.

Fire And Brimstone (Firebird) (Atari ST)

It may look superb, but you'd have to be endowed with superhuman gamesplaying powers, and a lot of luck, to fully appreciate its merits.

Ski Or Die (Electronic Arts) (PC (MS-DOS))

By far the best sports game available on the PC!

Starflight (Electronic Arts) (Commodore 64)

Kid Gloves (Millennium) (Amiga 500)

Twin World and Rick Dangerous are better examples of this type of game, but if you're tired of those two, this is a challenging alternative.

Grand National (Elite) (Amiga 500)

Creating a game based on horse racing is an ambitious idea, and Elite have carried it off very well.

Platoon (The Hit Squad) (Amstrad CPC464/664/6128)

Don't miss it! It's addictive, has fantastically atmospheric graphics and sound throughout, and most of the sections could easily make it as standalone games themselves.

Arcade Fruit Machine (Zeppelin Games) (Spectrum 48K)

A fairly average fruit machine simulator which should keep a bandit addict happy for a couple of hours... but not more.

Psycho Hopper (Mastertronic) (Spectrum 48K/128K/+2)

Nothing outstanding, but a jolly 'n bouncy collect-'em-up nonetheless.

Italia '90 (Codemasters) (Amiga 500)

An appalling piece of software... It might look nice in its packaging, but it's about as much fun as kicking around a deflated football.

Arkanoid (The Hit Squad) (Spectrum 48K/128K/+2/+3)

A must for everyone who enjoys bat 'n ball games.

Manchester United (Krisalis) (Atari ST)

A brilliant football management-cum-player sim which other, forthcoming soccer games will be hard pressed to beat.

Ferrari Formula One (Electronic Arts) (Commodore 64/128)

Absolutely abysmal. Who wants to play a game which looks lovely but plays like a dead fish in a vat of Blue Circle cement? Not I.

X-Out (Rainbow Arts) (Commodore 64/128)

A fantastic game which blast fans will drool over.

Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O' Fun (Mindscape International Inc) (Amstrad CPC464)

Funny as well as challenging. Wear a corset while playing Fiendish Freddy lest your sides split!

Space Rogue (Origin) (Amiga 500)

A true contender for Elite's crown... A tough, demanding 3D space opera which will keep fans engrossed for months.

Turrican (Rainbow Arts) (Commodore 64)

Wow...! There are some games that sneak up on you, make you go weak at the knees and won't let up until you've completed it. Turrican is one of them.

Jumping Jack Son (Infogrames) (Atari ST)

This jolly arcade puzzle game should go down well with anybody.

Colorado (Silmarils) (Amiga 500)

If walk-chop-and-collect malarkey games are really your bag, Colorado could be worth tracking down, but more lively players should look elsewhere for their fun.

Klax (Domark) (Atari ST)

No killing, no end of level monsters, no power-ups, and no damsels to rescue. Just good, solid, fast-moving mega-addictive gameplay which the whole family will love!

Player Manager (Anco) (Amiga 500)

Sequels are seldom as good as the originals, and this adage has never been truer than in the case of Player Manager which, although possessing a huge range of extras the original didn't have, fails to have the impact of Kick Off.

Xenomorph (Pandora) (Amiga 500)

There is a lot to do in Xenomorph... The game's addictive qualities ensure that I'll return time and time again!

Cloud Kingdoms (Millennium) (Amiga 500)

An enjoyable arcade puzzle romp.

Castle Master (Domark) (Atari ST)

The best Freescape game yet. There's so much to do it will take ages to finish.

Colonel's Bequest (Sierra) (PC (MS-DOS))

If you aren't put off by the slow pace of the game then this superb murder mystery is a must.

Battle Outrun (Sega) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

Plenty of action, great graphics and a choice of soundtracks and that's enough to keep most racing fans happy.

World Games (Sega) (Sega Master System (EU Version))

California Games was one of my favourite games, so when this sequel came into the office I rushed over to the Sega, slapped in the cartridge... and was very disappointed indeed!

Space Invaders Plus (Taito) (PC Engine (JP Version))

Nostalgia value aside, the straight conversion isn't worth much as a game, but the updated version is, surprisingly, quite addictive.

Curse (Micronet) (Sega Mega Drive (JP Version))

A must for Megadrive blaster-masters who like a shoot-'em-up with a bit of meat on its bones.

Super Real Basketball (Sega) (Sega Mega Drive (EU Version))

Super Real Basketball is just that - a realistic simulation of a fast-moving ballsport, and one which I can heartily recommend to all arcade sports fans.

New Zealand Story (Taito) (Sega Mega Drive (EU Version))

This is a cracking conversion which will move than please fans of the coin-op... and cute platform games in general.

Paranoia (Naxat Soft) (PC Engine (JP Version))

Producing a shoot-'em-up which is tough enough to suit hardened blasters and yet still playable is always difficult, but Naxat have come very close to achieving this with Paranoia.

Atomic Robo-Kid (Upl) (PC Engine (JP Version))

One of the best looking shoot-'em-ups on the PC Engine. The backdrops are colourful and beautifully designed, many of the sprites are superb, and the big (and I mean big) mega-guardians are superb - I've seen nothing like them since R-Type!