After The War (Dinamic)

Dodgy (and ludicrously difficult) first level hides a rather snazzy, all action shoot-'em-up. Would've been marked higher if it wasn't so hard.

Aspar GP Master (Dinamic)

An impossibly difficult viewed-from-above racing game. Only for die-hard addicts.

The Case of the Beheaded Smuggler (Mental Images)

It's the first time I've heard of Patrick Walsh and Mental Image, but if The Case Of The Beheaded Smuggler's anything to go by it won't be the last.

Crystal Castles (Kixx)

If playability's the final criterion, this is as good a game as you'll get - definitely worth a Megagame. Buy and enjoy.

Daley Thompson's Decathlon (Ocean)

For sport sim freaks only. The game is pretty impressive, but it has long been superseded by other Daley Thompson games.

Test Drive II: The Duel (Accolade)

Dull to look at and dull to play, with no real impression of speed, frustrating collision detection and a half-baked feel.

Enduro Racer (The Hit Squad)

A real cracker, and highly recommended, even if it has appeared on 56,000 compilations already.

Ghosts 'N Goblins (Encore)

Good stuff. Although the graphics are plain, you still find yourself coming back to it I think just one more go, or possibly two...

Ghouls 'N Ghosts (US Gold)

Simple but pleasing graphics plus bags of playability equals the best US Gold release this year (possibly). It is a bit hard though.

The Gordello Incident (Tartan)

A fascinating adventure, and in amongst all these complications of plot, screen layout, character-switching and programming there are some clever puzzles as well.

The Hermitage (Pegasus)

Well worth buying. Anyone taking the trouble to produce a special graphics version just for the +3 at under a tenner deserves a pat on the back.

Mask (Byte Back)

Not one of Gremlin's best. There's little to keep you going, so not surprisingly you stop.

Monty On The Run (Kixx)

Some bits require an awful lot of thought. On balance I'd say it's harder than Wanted: Monty Mole or Auf Wiedersehen Monty.

Operation Thunderbolt (Ocean)

A brilliant shoot-'em-up with enough variation from the original to stand as a separate megablast all in its own right.

Paperboy (Encore)

Nowadays, this does look a bit dated... Quite neatly put together, but overrated.

Puffy's Saga (Ubisoft)

A cute and cuddly Gauntlet-style thingy with lots of twee features to please Pacman fans. And it's not a bad little maze game either.

Purple Saturn Day (Infogrames)

A well weird compilation of games which leaves a similar 'taste in the mouth' as Captain Blood. If you loved that one, you'll quite like this.

Saint And Greavsie (Micro-Style)

There's little attempt to reproduce the banter of our two footie heroes. Just questions, questions and more questions. But if that's your cuppa tea...

Spherical (Rainbow Arts)

A colourful and challenging game requiring as much mental agility as joystick skill. It's original and it's wizard!

Sporting Triangles (CDS)

Thirty minutes of yawnsome TV successfully converted into the same amount of game-playing time. Sport triv nutters might want it though.

The Story So Far Volume 4 (Elite)

Six old and worn games bundled together in one pack. The only redeeming games are Wonder Boy and Ghostbusters.

Superkid (Atlantis)

All this is quite a laugh, as long as you aren't expecting anything worrying like originality or innovation.

Thundercats (Encore)

A cracking licence does not often a good game make, and Thundercats is no exception.

Tusker (System 3)

Smaller in size than Ninja, but with tons more colour and just as puzzling.

Xenophobe (Grandslam)

Fans of the coin-op will find this tasty, authentic conversion fills the gap. The enjoyment of everyone else will probably be short term.