Bloodwych (Imageworks)

If gigantic (but very accessible) adventures are your cup of cha, then buy buy buy... A genuine classic.

Crack City (Zenobi)

The game is quite simply brilliant, and puts most home-grown adventures to shame. A few years ago it would have been snapped up by someone like Mastertronic or Firebird and sold thousands, no doubt about it.

Defenders Of The Earth (Enigma Variations)

A 'could've been good' shoot-em-up - there's just not enough to do.

Delta Charge! (Thalamus)

There are a hundred and one shoot-'em-ups out there that are miles better than this one, and seeing this released really is a significant step backwards for Speccy technology.

Dynasty Wars (US Gold)

A good conversion of the coin-op. The graphics are ace and the horses are currently the best on the Speccy, but whether or not you'll 'get hitched' to it is another matter.

Enterprise (Mastertronic Plus)

As a full-pricer it would get howled down within seconds, but it makes for quite an acceptable cheapo.

Fiendish Freddy's Big Top o'Fun (Mindscape)

Six brill tongue-in-cheek circus games but beware - on cassette, you'll end up spending more time loading Fiendish Freddy than playing it.

Football Champions (Cult Games)

If a footie management game's what you're after, I can't see anything desperately wrong with this one. Apart from that its name has just scrolled off the top of the screen, and I can't remember what it is.

Hammerfist (Activision)

A well thought-out and rather thrill-packed beat-'em-up/puzzler. Pretty massive too.

Hopping Mad (Encore)

A smart, tidy little game and very hard to hate. Your patience will be rewarded, as they say.

Hot Rod (Activision)

A pretty average driving game with a horrible flipping way of doing things.

Lords Of Chaos (Blade)

Loads of depth, pretty easy to get into and nicely presented. A brill sword and sorcery strategy game.

Match Day (The Hit Squad)

Until Match Day II comes out, this is probably the best bet for the footie-frenzied light-of-pocket.

Overlander (Encore)

If you're wanting to add a driving game to your collection, and can't quite stretch to a copy of Chase HQ, Overlander is a lot better than most purpose-built budget efforts.

Pinball Power (Mastertronic Plus)

If you've got your heart set on a pinball game, look no further than this one.

Pipe Mania (Empire)

An ultra-addictive puzzler. Conclusive proof that because a game looks square doesn't mean it is.

Raster Runner (Mastertronic Plus)

Spookily, I couldn't stop playing it - it's just so good. In fact, I'm typing one-handed at the moment!

Sonic Boom (Activision)

A dull shoot-'em-up with no outstanding merits. If you like 'em difficult then fine. If not, steer clear.

Wonder Boy (The Hit Squad)

A bit cute, but fun. As it's so easy, I didn't end up ripping out huge handfuls of hair (like I usually do with games like this!).