Chain Reaction (Encore)

The graphics are so basic and the gameplay so drab, that it's hard to maintain any sort of interest. Instead you find yourself, well, throwing it out of the window with frustration and boredom.

Chase H.Q. (Ocean)

We're looking at Number One here, no question. This is a bloomin' miracle! A brilliant conversion of a very playable coin-op, and in 128k it's absolutely magnificent.

Dan Dare III: The Escape (Virgin)

An excellent game... Gorgeous graphics and great gameplay.

Fist II (Mastertronic)

Not bad but it's just a wee bit dated... Whether you'll have the patience to trek through the many screens of not-terribly-interesting graphics to complete your quest is a matter for you.

Footballer Of The Year 2 (Gremlin)

Don't expect the depth of strategy of, say, Football Director, but do expect to play and play and play.

Galaxy Force (Activision)

A competent conversion of the coin-op hit of the same name. It's basically After Burner in space (but not quite as hot), with multiloads, average sound and nice new graphics.

Game Over (Summit)

There's plenty of stuff to shoot, all the usual add-on weapons, but the execution is very poor. The colour-clash makes it very tricky to see what's going on at times, and Arkos seems to float around the screen in a manner which defies all the laws of physics.

The General (Cases)

It recreates the realism of Napoleonic war fairly well, but unfortunately lacks playability. Not of much interest to the majority of gameplayers.

The Great Escape (The Hit Squad)

A 3D isometric game which attempts to evoke a specific and recognisable scenario... It's enormously challenging and, unlike so many games, solvable.

Gregory Loses His Clock (Mastertronic)

Another viciously difficult Don Priestly game... Anyone who likes their minds stretched before breakfast should invest the necessary quidlets immediately.

Heavy Metal (US Gold)

A colourful romp through the wonderful world of armoured warfare. Different types of game, different levels of quality.

International Manager (Cult Games)

It isn't quite in the same league as Football Manager but let's say the top of Div Two as opposed to the Liverpool and Evertons of this world.

Intruder Alert (Compass)

Intruder Alert is a very professionally produced adventure, the first of two parts, and keeps up Compass' high standards.

Jonah Barrington's Squash (Mastertronic Plus)

Buy it and try it - it's hard but not too hard, and it's very, very simple in presentation and structure.

Kick Off (Anco)

Very fast, very playable and very easy to get into, though a bit hopeless visually.

Meganova (Alternative)

A shoot-'em-up of sorts, it's slow, turgid and about as addictive as a bunion. It's also hard - and boring.

Nigel Mansell's Grand Prix (React)

Unfortunately, the racing detail seems to be at the expense of things like the graphics. The overall effect looks a bit unpolished.

Ping Pong (The Hit Squad)

Great fun...! The concept of hitting a small ball across a table lots of times proves to be very absorbing. The only trouble is that the computer tends to play too predictably, so you might be better off finding a friend to compete with.

Postman Pat 2 (Alternative)

Boring. Pat walks around his neighbourhood, waiting for enormous black arrows to appear next to certain houses, and runs errands for his oddly lazy customers. That's all, so out the window it goes.

Pro Tennis Tour (Ubisoft)

The best tennis sim on the Speccy so far. The dead accurate (if a tad hard) gameplay makes for some eyebrow-singeing matches.

Renegade (The Hit Squad)

Control is simple and effective, you are always given a chance (which probably has more to do with the game's initial success than anything else) and the graphics are excellent.

Rock 'n Roll (Rainbow Arts)

Persevere with the unglossy look and there's lots here to do and see, even though it is in yellow and there's no Save Game option.

Saigon Combat Unit (Players Premier)

A dull little run-along-and-shoot-everything-that-moves game, with not terribly clear graphics and terminally dreary gameplay. Forget it.

Speedboat Assassins (Mastertronic Plus)

Perfect budget fare, and quite a giggle. Anyone who's looking for a new twist on the creaky old racing game format may enjoy it as much as I did.

Stir Crazy Featuring Bobo (Infogrames)

Five independent sub-games all starring an obscure Belgian comic character. Quite well executed in their way but small and short-lived.

Thanatos (Encore)

Refreshingly different and full of delightful little touches, like the ability to deposit rocks on people's heads, burn them and drop them from great heights. Good stuff. Gosh, yes.

The Triple Pack (Leisure Genius)

Not good value, but if you like computer versions of board games, and you haven't got one or two of these already, it could be worth a look.

Turbo Bike (Alternative)

Slow, impenetrably hard and unrewarding, it's second hand in feel and fourth division in quality. Zzzz...

Turbo OutRun (US Gold)

A disappointing sequel to the original rolling-road racing coin-op. Much better than the original OutRun, but hardly the best of the current driving games.