Minder (DK'Tronics/Thames TV)

With just a bit more care at the final stages, with a touch more variety and depth to the conversations, this could have been a classic.

Cats (Artic)

Starion (Melbourne House)

Starion can be viewed either as a light educational adventure in time or purely as an arcade game.

Grand National (Elite)

The frustration of falling off your horse at the first fence 25 times in a row is off-putting, but you will eventually find it possible to complete at least one lap before your nag finally flops to the ground in total exhaustion.

Body Works (Genesis Productions)

The programs for each function are very short and slow. If the message takes as long to get to the brain as it does on the program, you would be dead long before it got there.

Shadowfire (Beyond)

If you want a quick load-it-up and shoot-it-down then don't waste your money. However, if you want a fast and innovative game which may well take weeks to complete - buy it.

Varitalk (ITS)

An excellent toy and we had a lot of fun playing with it.

Wordwise: Nuclear Weapons (Richardson)

Brian Jacks Superstar Challenge (Martech)

It is fairly easy to beat Brian on the early levels of the game, and doubtful whether many would wish to continue to higher levels to receive their thrashing.

Komplex (Legend)

Wriggler (Romantic Robot)

Contains plenty of humour and challenge in a rather different setting to the normal hi-tech or low-fantasy scenarios we have come to expect of arcade-adventure generally.

World Series Baseball (Imagine)

The game is fun and apparently realistic. Welcome back, Imagine. Keep up the good work.

Death Star Interceptor (System 3)

Once at the death star you get the time-honoured death-or-glory Luke 'make mine a milk shake' Skywalker run down the deadly corridor to plant a bomb in the exhaust port.

Confuzion (Incentive)

'Fun for all the family' as they say - give it a try and bend your brain to bits.

Chuckie Egg 2 (A 'n F)

The graphics are lurid and not of the best detail, but have that special Chuckie Egg quality all the same.

Mighty Magus (Quicksilva)

The graphics are outdated, unclear and flickery - a pity it was not released a year ago.

Spy Hunter (US Gold)

The game is obviously not as fast as the arcade version, but in all other cases it is an almost exact replica - except that there is no gear stick or accelerator.

Video Pool (OCP)

The movement of the balls is fast, smooth and flicker-free and the direction of the cue ball towards the cursor, positioned on the cushion, is accurate.

Archon (Ariolasoft)

Snapple Hopper (Macmillan)

The graphics in the games are well devised and the routines fun to play, at least for the younger members of the age range. Eight year olds may find it all rather unsophisticated.

Jonah Barrington's Squash (New Generation)

The game is an accurate simulation of the game and play is fast on the higher levels.

911TS (Elite)

We're talking action, we're talking hype, we're talking spondulistani... Don't buy it.

QL Toolkit (Sinclair Research)

Super Sprite Generator (Digital Precision)

GRAPHIQL (Talent)

Super Backgammon (Digital Precision)

Area Radar Controller (Shadowsoft)

QL Cash Trader (Sinclair Research)

Superfile (Transform Ltd)

The Unitrust Program (Michael Slatford)

For someone who is relatively new to this form of saving, perhaps there is too much information when all they may be interested in is how much the original investment is worth.

Gremlins (Adventure International)

A classy and tense game, well made and full of action.

El Dorado (Atlantis)

Costs less than the average night out at the pictures and will keep your brain working a lot longer. Not bad at all.

The Jewel Of Power (Slogger)

The theme is not my personal cup of tea but I'm sure it will appeal to many hardened players.

Malice In Wonderland (Lumpsoft)

Good design, great quality, grand fun.

Scoop (Sentient)

The interpreter could have been friendlier and more responsive to 'Exam' queries and it would have been nice to see less of 'You can't do that' on screen.

The Crystal Frog (Kerian)

Eerie castles, stalking murderers and enraged animals will dog your tracks and the atmosphere is enhanced by effective descriptions and an attention to detail.

The Amulet (Sentient)

In the medieval section, already protected by a shield, I picked up a sword only to be immediately offed by an irate Norman. That sort of event did not endear me to the game, especially as the same sort of thing kept happening elsewhere.