Red Storm Rising (MicroProse) (Commodore 64)

A simulation of enormous magnitude, but more suited to experienced simulator buffs.

Cybernoid II: The Revenge (Hewson) (Commodore 64/128)

Plenty of blast and bomb action for shoot-'em-up fans.

Soldier Of Fortune (Graftgold/Firebird) (Commodore 64)

A very disappointing release from a partnership that should have given us something really special.

Barbarian (Psygnosis) (Commodore 64/128)

The 16-bit's weak gameplay is reinforced by poorly designed 8-bit graphics. A poor conversion.

4x4 Off-Road Racing (Epyx) (Commodore 64)

A technically competent racing sim spoilt by incredibly laborious gameplay and a total lack of variety.

Pink Panther (Magic Bytes/Gremlin) (Commodore 64)

Average main sprite but everything else is crap. Poor multi-load, annoying delays and few options.

Armalyte (Thalamus) (Commodore 64/128)

A brilliant blaster whose graphics and gameplay knock others for six.

Foxx Fights Back (Imageworks) (Commodore 64/128)

An unusual, but entertaining, variation on the arcade adventure theme.

Emlyn Hughes International Soccer (Audiogenic) (Commodore 64)

Quite simply, the best football simulation available for the C64!

Faery Tale Adventure (Mediagenic/Microillusions) (Amiga 500)

If you're patient, fancy yourself as a bit of a fighting machine and like making maps, you might want to give this a go.

Tanglewood (Microdeal) (Amiga 500)

You could spend ages exploring this deep and mysterious world - there must be some juicy titbits somewhere - but it takes so long to get anywhere that you might decide to throw your disk over the nearest bridge and cut your toenails instead.

The Bard's Tale II (Electronic Arts/Interplay) (Amiga 500)

Probably the best role-playing game you can get, so far, for the Amiga.

Sarcophaser (Rainbow Arts) (Amiga 500)

A top-quality, low-price action-packed shoot-'em-up with excellent graphics.

Whirligig (Rainbird) (Amiga 500)

Technically clever, but that's the problem. It's too clever.

Ikari Warriors (Elite) (Amiga 500)

An accurate conversion of an old but playable Commando variant.

The Empire Strikes Back (Domark) (Amiga 500)

An excellent conversion - atmospheric, addictive and faithful to the coin-op.

Atron 5000 (Players) (Amiga 500)

An exceptional variation on the old Tron theme, especially addictive in two-player mode.

Powerplay: The Game Of The Gods (Arcana) (Amiga 500)

On all formats, Powerplay is still the best fix of computerised trivia around.

Fire And Forget (Titus) (Amiga 500)

A poorly programmed Road Blasters variation. Easily forgotten.

Bomb Jack (Elite) (Amiga 500)

A seriously sub-standard conversion... I expect much much more than this from the Amiga.

Vixen (Martech) (Amiga 500)

A totally unoriginal collect-'em-up with nothing at all to get in a lather about.

Army Moves (Imagine) (Amiga 500)

Almost non-existent gameplay makes this very poor value for money.

Extensor (Players) (Amiga 500)

A pathetic parody of a Tron-style game, with crippling controls and as much excitement as a day with Paul Glancey.

Beyond The Ice Palace (Elite) (Amiga 500)

A slightly above average Ghosts 'N Goblins game. Slightly repetitive and difficult though.

Pandora (Firebird) (Amiga 500)

A boxful of trucks, puzzles and entertainment.

Quadralien (Logotron) (Amiga 500)

An example of how not to produce an arcade-strategy game.

Star Ray (Logotron) (Amiga 500)

An excellent, brilliantly addictive game.

Sky Chase (Mirrorsoft) (Amiga 500)

An exhilarating flying game - at its best with two players at the controls.

Zoom! (Discovery Software International) (Amiga 500)

Another old game given a new lease of life and it's well funny to boot!

Scrabble Deluxe (Leisure Genius) (Amiga 500)

Nicely presented conversion of a subject which has obvious limitations.

Bionic Commando (Go) (Amiga 500)

A very disappointing conversion considering the power of the machine.

Street Fighter (Capcom) (Amiga 500)

So feeble that you really will be able to beat 'em all up - first go.

Bubble Ghost (Infogrames) (Amiga 500)

An enjoyable and amusing game which many gamers will find a bit of a larf.

Tracers (Microillusions) (Amiga 500)

A very good example of a Tron-style game with its share of strengths and weaknesses.

Sub Battle Simulator (Epyx) (Amiga 500)

An unatmospheric and expensive sub sim, lacking any really interesting features.

Craps Academy (Microillusions) (Amiga 500)

A complicated and unrewarding gambling game.

Vectorball (Mastertronic) (Amiga 500)

Poor execution makes this an uncompelling futuresport game.

Street Gang (Players) (Amiga 500)

The questionable subject matter and lousy game go together to make a combination worthy of nobody's attention.

Thundercats (Elite) (Amiga 500)

An unambitious Green Beret style game for a licence with great possibilities.

Helter Skelter (Audiogenic) (Amiga 500)

A playable and enjoyable platformer which should appeal to all fans of cutesy gaming.

Virus (Firebird) (Amiga 500)

An excellent and innovative game, but Virus is an acquired taste.

Street Sports Soccer (Epyx) (Commodore 64)

Just as much fun as kicking a ball about in your back garden - and you can't break your neighbour's windows!

Sinbad And The Throne Of The Falcon (Mirrorsoft) (Commodore 64/128)

Very good, action-packed adventure with plenty to keep you occupied.

Intensity (Firebird) (Commodore 64)

An excellent game, but doesn't have the broad appeal of Braybrook's previous works because it isn't an out-and-out blast.

Battle Stations (Addictive) (Commodore 64/128)

Will probably sink without trace.

Mission Genocide (Firebird) (Commodore 64/128)

A playable vertical shoot-'em-up, but not as good as Warhawk, which it mimics.

Bubble Bobble (Silverbird) (Commodore 64/128)

It's madcap... wacky, even... and it's loads of fun.

Metrocross (Kixx) (Commodore 64/128)

Not really outstanding in any field, having chunky graphics, an odd tune and rather monotonous gameplay.

Tau Ceti (Mastertronic) (Commodore 64/128)

Another Commodore classic of yesteryear which makes an unmissable budget release.

Ace Of Aces (Kixx) (Commodore 64/128)

The different missions make gameplay much more varied than most games of the type... so it's well worth checking out the shelves for this one.

Krakout (Kixx) (Commodore 64/128)

The graphics aren't quite as polished as the official Imagine conversion and the sound hovers just above mediocre, but there's probably enough gameplay in Krakout to keep you at it for a while.