Dandy (Electric Dreams) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Must be played at a frantic pace, otherwise you will be constantly overrun with nasties.

Big 4 (Durell) (Spectrum 48K)

Each game separately is well worth playing with; my favourite being Combat Lynx and Critical Mass. With four hits for the price of one, it just has to be a monster hit.

Hisoft Basic Compiler (Hisoft) (Spectrum 48K)

If you're serious about your computing then this is the program you've been waiting for, as close as anyone is likely to get to an easy-to-use, most features supported compiler for the Spectrum computers.

Breakthru (US Gold) (Spectrum 48K)

A jumping, shooting, leaping arcade hit.

Prodigy (Electric Dreams) (Spectrum 48K)

If you persevere then this game has numerous nice features and puzzles to offer - but for most people, it is initially too off-putting.

Orbix The Terrorball (Streetwise) (Spectrum 48K)

A good debut by a new label and a new programmer.

W.A.R. (Martech) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

By trading points you can actually add to your fire power and buy extra lasers, more weapons and even a bonus ship.

Terra Cognita (Codemasters) (Spectrum 48K)

A fast action shoot-'em-up featuring great graphics, addictive action and amazing sound.

180 Darts (Mastertronic) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Not one of Mastertronic's better offerings.

King's Keep (Firebird) (Spectrum 48K/Plus)

The game, if nothing too original or stunning to look at, is quite playable.

Dr. What (CRL) (Spectrum 48K)

A load of rubbish. When will CRL realise that they can't get away with releasing poor quality, full price games?

Starglider (Rainbird) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

May be twice the average cost of a Spectrum game, but it's no ordinary game. A must for all Spectrum owners.

Marble Madness Construction Set (Melbourne House) (Spectrum 48K)

The best implementation that could have been made of this well thought out game.

Aliens (Electric Dreams) (Spectrum 48K)

An excellent game based on a superb film... Undoubtedly the best licensed game yet produced.

The Colour Of Magic (Piranha/Delta 4) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Not one of Delta 4's best. However, since there are four parts, there's lots to see and be entertained by.

Dracula (CRL) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Despite some niggles, I enjoyed Dracula a great deal. It really does feel like participating in a novel.

Dodgy Geezers (Melbourne House) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Dodgy Geezers has an original plot and tries something different, but I don't think it's entirely successful.

Kayleth (Adventuresoft/US Gold) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

Offers a good game for the occasional adventurer due to its graphics and logicality, while the hardened player will appreciate its sophisticated features and enjoyable plot.

Future Knight (Gremlin) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

A superb mixture of all that's best in arcade adventures, platform games and shoot-'em-ups combined to signal monster hit.

They Stole A Million (Ariolasoft) (Spectrum 48K)

If you're prepared to do the planning and research, you'll find this game fascinating but fairly soon hit all the targets and finish the game.

The Artist II (Softechnics) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

If you need to do screen dumps, you may find the bugs introduced into this leave you disappointed. Softechnics should take another look at it. It is far too good a program to be left in the state it is now.

Advanced OCP Art Studio (Rainbird) (Spectrum 48K)

It's a tribute to the quality of the original program that it can't be much improved upon even with an additional 80K to play with.

The Press (Gilsoft) (Spectrum 48K)

If you're already a user of The Quill, this package is a powerful and easy-to-use expansion.

Speed King II (Mastertronic) (Spectrum 48K/128K)

For the race game fanatic Speed King II can be highly recommended.