Midwinter 2: Flames Of Freedom (Rainbird)

Even with all the disk accessing, Midwinter 2 offers a brilliant challenge to anyone who thinks that games being and end with licences.

Hunter (Activision)

A real find. Hunter offers everything you could want from a game: huge amounts of gameplay, fantastic graphics and those insignificant but pleasing details that give games a real polished look.

Life And Death (The Software Toolworks)

Fun to play for a few hours but the crucial ingredient, long-term playability, is sadly missing - interest palls after you've worked out the mechanics of the game. This is a real pity, because, with a bit more to do, this could have been a classic game.

Armour Geddon (Psygnosis)

Armour-geddon a lot of fun out of this game!

F-15 Strike Eagle 2 (Microprose)

Even if flight sims aren't normally your bag, give it a try anyway. You'll be surprised at just how much fun it is.

Maupiti Island (Lankhor)

It has to be said, you're bound to be drawn in more by Maupiti's graphics and sound than by its gameplay. But once you're there, you realise there is actually much more beneath the surface than you'd reckoned on.

Frenetic (Core)

A shoot-'em-up. A game of yesteryear. It has medium slow speed, poor sound and fairly nice graphics. But if you love the genre, you could get into it.

Atomino (Psygnosis)

A completely stripped down puzzle game. It has no pretensions to be anything else, so it stands or falls on the enjoyability of the puzzle. If you're into sub-molecular atom-arranging you're in for a wild time.

R-Type 2 (Activision)

As a game in its own right, R-Type 2 is passable but nothing special - a straight-forward blaster that may appeal to those who haven't experienced its prequel.

Switchblade 2 (Gremlin)

A surprisingly very enjoyable game. It's perfect for when you really can't be bothered to get your cerebral tissue wrapped round anything more taxing than shooting robots.

Creepy (Atlantis)

If you've played Atic Atac you're played Creepy, though if anything the original game is actually a little better.

The Ball Game (Electronic Zoo)

Nothing special, but passable (he said, grudgingly)... The boards get more difficult, sure, but that's about all.

Impossamole (Gremlin)

It's not really a bad game, it just joins that huge, teetering pile of games labelled 'average' that are released, and almost immediately forgotten about.

Billiards 2 Simulator (Infogrames)

Graphics and sound aren't particularly special... And the balls don't move very well, jerking slightly. The 3D mode is nowhere near as good as that in Mirror Image's 3D Pool.

The Games: Summer Edition (U. S. Gold)

On the whole, the graphics are detailed and fairly realistic and there's some sampled sound. Even the spot effects are above average. About the only minus point is the constant disk swapping.

Snott (Grafic Visions)

If Grafic Visions really want to outdo the major companies, their best best is to spend much more time developing a really good game. And if it means bumping the price up a bit, do it. One thing's for certain - they're not going to please anyone with this.

Sharkey's Moll (Zeppelin Games)

This isn't worth 79p, let alone £7.99. Graphics are childish, sound is basic and the gameplay will keep you amused right up until you hit the reset button.

Famous Five On A Treasure Island (Enigma Variations)

This is all rather disappointing, particularly considering it's the first official game licence from the Enid Blyton estate. It may suit younger children, but they may have quite a bit of trouble with the outdated parser.