[{"TitleName":"Ultimate Play The Game: The Collected Works","Publisher":"Ultimate Play The Game","Author":"","YearOfRelease":"1988","ZxDbId":"0011391","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 56, Sep 1988","Price":"£1.25","ReleaseDate":"1988-08-25","Editor":"Dominic Handy","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"EDITORIAL\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nEditor: Dominic Handy\r\nAssistant Editor: Katharina Hamza\r\nSub Editors: Barnaby Page, David Peters\r\nStaff Writers: Mark Caswell, Philip King, Lloyd Mangram, Nick Roberts\r\nEditorial Assistants: Erica Gwilliam, Frances Mable, Glenys Powell\r\nPhotography: Cameron Pound, Michael Parkinson\r\nContributors: Jon Bates, Raffaele Cecco, Paul Evans, Simon N Goodwin, Ian Philipson, Brendon Kavanagh, Rosetta McLeod, Paul Sumner\r\n\r\nPRODUCTION\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nProduction Manager: Jonathan Rignall\r\nArt Director: Mark Kendrick\r\nAssistant Art Director: Wayne Allen\r\nProduction Team: Ian Chubb, Melvin Fisher, Robert Millichamp, Yvonne Priest, Matthew Uffindell\r\n\r\nEditorial Director: Roger Kean\r\nPublisher: Geoff Grimes\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nSales Executives: Andrew Smales, Sarah Chapman\r\nAssistant: Jackie Morris [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\n[redacted]\r\n\r\nTypeset by The Tortoise Shell Press, Ludlow. Colour origination by Scan Studios [redacted]. Printed in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group. Distribution by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nCOMPETITION RULES\r\nThe Editor's decision is final in all matters relating to adjudication and while we offer prizes in good faith, believing them to be available, if something untoward happens (like a game that has been offered as a prize being scrapped) we reserve the right to substitute prizes of comparable value. We'll do our very best to despatch prizes as soon as possible after the published closing date. Winners names will appear in a later issue of CRASH. No correspondence can be entered into regarding the competitions (unless we've written to you stating that you have won a prize and it doesn't turn up, in which case drop Frances Mable a line at the [redacted] address). No person who has any relationship, no matter how remote, to anyone who works for either Newsfield or any of the companies offering prizes, may enter one of our competitions. No material may be reproduced whole or in part without the written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return anything sent into CRASH including written and photographic material, software and hardware - unless it is accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material is welcome, and if used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\nTotal: 96,590\r\nUK/EIRE: 90,822\r\n\r\n©CRASH Ltd, 1988\r\n\r\nCover Design & Illustration by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"The Collected Works\r\nProducer: Ultimate Play The Game/US Gold\r\nPrice: £12.99 cassette, £14.99 disk\r\nCompilation: Jetpac, Pssst, Atic Atac, Lunar Jetman, Cookie, Traz-Am, Knight Lore, Alien 8, Nightshade, Gunfright and Sabre Wulf\r\n\r\nBack in those heady days when software companies were young and innocent (now those were the days - Ed), when CRASH was mostly monochrome and no-one owned a Spectrum 128K, it was almost impossible to top an Ultimate game. Each one was anticipated with unbearable impatience and praised to the sides when it finally arrived. When Ultimate changed its name to Rare Ltd and, after a period of dormancy, transferred its attentions to the Nintendo, it seemed like the end of an era - and it was.\r\n\r\nThe Collected Works captures the best of Ultimate (in other words, nearly every game they produced) on one compilation pack. The 11 games trace the development of Ultimate's technique from the earliest 2-D exploration games like Atic Atac (92%, Issues 1 and 2) and Sabre Wulf (95%, Issue 6) to Knight Lore (94 %, Issue 12), Alien 8 (95%, Issue 15) and Gunfright (92%, Issue 25) which pioneered the revolutionary 3-D Filmation and Filmation 2 techniques. Practically all the games demand extensive exploration and pose plenty of puzzles. Finding the correct solutions depends on a combination of careful timing and technique. Whether you're tramping through a Knight Lore castle, a medieval Nightshade village or a gun-smoking Wild West town, there are endless chances to explore, discover and die.\r\n\r\nObviously, what was hailed as 'state of the art' in its time isn't quite as revolutionary now. Knight Lore was followed by a spate of 3-D isometric perspective clones which, as time progressed, became faster and more sophisticated than the original. Alien 8 and Nightshade can't compete with more modern games like Head Over Heels in terms of complexity but they are still extremely playable and great fun to explore.\r\n\r\nInevitably, one or two of the Collected Works are less playable than others (if you ask me, they're all fantastic; 'specially Cookie and Pssst in 16K! - Ed), but for the classic games Sabre Wulf, Knight Lore, Jetpac, Alien 8, Lunar Jetman and Atic Atac, the package is well worth the compilation price. If you missed out the first time, don't miss out now. This is going to be one of the most sought after compilations of the year, make sure you've got it.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"86,87","Denied":false,"Award":"Crash Smash","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mark Caswell","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Kati Hamza","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"One of the best compilations you could ever buy!"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"97%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Sinclair Issue 33, Sep 1988","Price":"£1.5","ReleaseDate":"1988-08-11","Editor":"Teresa Maughan","TotalPages":116,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Teresa Maughan\r\nDeputy Editor: Ciaran Brennan\r\nArt Editor: Darrell King\r\nTechnical Editor: Phil South\r\nProduction Editor: Jackie Ryan\r\nDesigner: Catherine Higgs\r\nContributors: Guy Bennington, Marcus Berkmann, Owen & Audrey Bishop, Richard Blaine, Jonathan Davies, Mike 'Skippy' Dunn, Mike Gerrard, Graeme Kidd, David McCandless, Duncan McDonald, Nat Pryce, Peter Shaw, Rachael Smith, Ben Stone\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Mark Salmon\r\nAdvertisement Executive: Simon Stansfield\r\nAdvertisement Director: Alistair Ramsay\r\nProduction Manager: Judith Middleton\r\nMarketing Manager: Bryan Denyer\r\nArt Director: Hazel Bennington\r\nPublisher: Kevin Cox\r\nPublishing Director: Roger Munford\r\nFinance Director: Colin Crawford\r\nManaging Director: Stephen England\r\nChairman: Felix Dennis\r\n\r\nPublished by Dennis Publishing Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England.\r\nTypesetters: Carlinpoint [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Sinclair ©1988 Felden Productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Sinclair is a monthly publication."},"MainText":"US Gold\r\n£14.99\r\nReviewer: Duncan MacDonald\r\n\r\nIn the beginning, Ultimate saw the Sinclair Spectrum and it knew that it was good, and so it said unto itself, \"Let there be games, and let the games be good too.\"\r\n\r\nAnd, lo and behold, the games were good. Very good in fact. And now they re all out again in one box. Hoorah!!!\r\n\r\nIf you've had your Speccy for absolutely yonks and yonks, then the chances are that you'll own all these games already. So what are you reading this for? Go away at once! This is for people who haven't seen these games before! Go on, scram... Pronto!\r\n\r\nHave the scoundrels gone? Good then I'll begin.\r\n\r\nOnce upon a time there was a software company that made 2D games that everybody talked about. The games were crisp, slick, simple and downright addictive. Quite a good formula really, wouldn't you agree chum-bos?\r\n\r\nAnyway one bright sunny day - when everybody thought the Speccy had been pushed. graphically, as far as it would go - this software company released a stunning new game. The game was called Knightlore, the company was called Ultimate and the game view was called 'Isometric Projection'. Yaaah-hooooooo!! 3D had happened! You could walk in front of things, behind things, in fact you could even move things around and stand on them. It was the game that spawned a squillion copy-cats - a new genre had been created. Well done Ultimate!\r\n\r\nSo from Ultimate's cheerful 2D dawn to its climatic 3D sunset, there are 11 of its games bunged together in this one package. Have they stood the test of time? Let's have a butchers.\r\n\r\nCookie: You control Cookie, a little chef (not a Happy Eater). Zoom around the screen shooting the floating ingredients into the bowl at screen bottom. Avoid the nasties. Totally simple, nice to play and hair-raisingly addictive\r\n\r\nPssst: You want your seed to grow into a nice big juicy sunflower. Trouble is that worms, wasps and all manner of bug-things want to eat it. Keep the heinous pests at bay with the sprays, poisons and swatters you have at your disposal. Again, totally simple and addictive.\r\n\r\nTranz-Am: A 'view from above' car game/collect 'em up. Whizz around the USA collecting goblets while avoiding the ground features (cacti and so on) and the enemy motors. Erm, not the best game on the compilation actually.\r\n\r\nJet-Pac: Single screen with three platforms. Collect the falling fuel cannisters and take them to your space-rocket. Vape anything that moves, or it will vape you. Simple, fun and addictive.\r\n\r\nLunar Jetman: Jet Pac with knobs on. Scrolling landscape, vehicles to enter and drive, things to collect and loads to avoid. I found it incredibly difficult to play, and preferred the simplicity of Jet-Pac. But that's just me... simple.\r\n\r\nAtic Atac: Run furiously through a giant maze-like complex of rooms in your search for the three parts of the golden key (which allows you to escape from the castle). A viewed from above zapping/avoiding/mapping/collect 'em up. Fast and furious and great fun, although a bit dated.\r\n\r\nSabre Wulf: Atic Atac in the jungle.\r\n\r\nKnight Lore: One of the most important (and best) games ever written for the Speccy. Move through the 3D castle collecting orbs, chalices and such like. When ('if' more likely - haw haw), you've got them all, bung them in the wizard's cauldron. Just getting through some of the rooms seems almost impossible. Brainblendingly brilliant stuff. The game that inspired Head Over Heels. Graphically superb. Still stands up today (fnar).\r\n\r\nAlien 8: Knightloreish 3D jolly japes, but this time set on board a giant spacecraft. Kill roving aliens and re-activate the many de-activated things that you need to bring the ship into a safe planetary orbit. Even harder than Knightlore!\r\n\r\nNightshade: Another Knightlore clone, this time set in an enchanted village. Everybody here seems to be very poorly. Evil Spells have been cast - and guess what, chum... you've got to uncast them and clean the village of evil. Blimey.\r\n\r\nGunfright!: Yeeee haaaaa! It's wild west time. Guide the sherrif around the town looking for the baddies on the 'wanted dead or alive' posters. Graphically, again, in the Knightlore mould, and jolly fun too.\r\n\r\nThis compilation offers many things, but I think the overall emphasis has to be on playability - there's enough here to keep you chained to your keyboard for several millenia. Okay so there are a couple of slightly duffo games but that still leaves nine good ones. For my money it's almost worth buying this for Knghtlore alone - so with all the others it's got to be a steal. Go get it.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"Wazzy compilation of some of the best games written for the Speccy. If you've never seen the Ultimate games, then get this!","Page":"86,87","Denied":false,"Award":"Your Sinclair Best Buy","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Duncan MacDonald","Score":"9","ScoreSuffix":"/10"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Graphics","Score":"7/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Playability","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Value For Money","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Addictiveness","Score":"9/10","Text":""},{"Header":"Overall","Score":"9/10","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"C&VG (Computer & Video Games) Issue 87, Jan 1989","Price":"£1.2","ReleaseDate":"1988-12-16","Editor":"Eugene Lacey","TotalPages":156,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Eugene Lacey\r\nDeputy Editor: Julian Rignall\r\nArt Editor: Andrea Walker\r\nStaff Writer: Matt Bielby\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Garry Williams\r\nSales Executive: Joanne Cook\r\nCopy Control: Lora Clark\r\nPublisher: Terry Pratt\r\n\r\nSubscription Enquiries to: EMAP Frontline, [redacted]\r\n\r\nEditorial and Advertisement Offices: [redacted]\r\n\r\n108,892 (Jan-June 1988)."},"MainText":"COMPILATION CITY\r\n\r\nThe festive season is a time of peace, joy... and compilations. This year is no exception, and there's a plethora of collections, assemblages and gift packs attempting to seduce a punter into parting with his pounds. Julian Rignall gives his advice on which ones offer the best value for money...\r\n\r\nOne version of each compilation has been judged, but since games often vary in quality from format to format, there's a full list of marks for all versions of the compilation at the end of this feature, presented as three 'league' tables: one for Spectrum, one for Amstrad and one for C64 owners, giving a clear indication about which compilations are the best on which machines.\r\n\r\nGIANTS\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £12.99 Cass, C64 £14.99 Disk, Spec £17.99 Disk.\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nCALIFORNIA GAMES: Seven whacky events from the West Coast. Superb stuff!\r\n\r\n720: Blocky, but competent skateboarding arcade conversion.\r\n\r\nGAUNTLET II: Good, but ageing conversion of the coin-op classic.\r\n\r\nOUTRUN: A big seller, but very average in all respects.\r\n\r\nROLLING THUNDER: Ghastly coin-op conversion.\r\n\r\nA reasonable collection with one outstanding game, and one bummer\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 78%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 72%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 72%\r\n\r\nSTATE OF THE ART\r\nMACHINE: ST\r\nSUPPLIER: Ocean\r\nPRICE: £29.99\r\nVERSION TESTED: ST\r\n\r\nBARBARIAN: Great hack 'n' slash fighting game.\r\n\r\nCRAZY CARS: So-so race game that lacks challenge.\r\n\r\nENDURO RACER: Poor conversion of the Sega motocross arcade game.\r\n\r\nWIZBALL: Colourful and original horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up.\r\n\r\nRAMPAGE: Great conversion, but ultimately repetitive.\r\n\r\nFairly good value for money, with a mixture of good and bad titles.\r\n\r\nAtari ST Overall: 75%\r\n\r\nSPORTS WORLD 88\r\nMACHINE: C64\r\nSUPPLIER: U.S. Gold\r\nPRICE: £12.99 Cass, £14 99 Disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nCHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING: Novel and compelling, but the multiload is a pain.\r\n\r\n10TH FRAME: Superb bowling game with lovely graphics and feel.\r\n\r\nHARDBALL: Great American sports game with good graphics.\r\n\r\nLEADERBOARD: Classic golf game that's been done to death.\r\n\r\n4TH & INCHES: Simply the best American football game available.\r\n\r\nSNOOKER AND POOL: Alright if you like this sort of thing.\r\n\r\nGO FOR GOLD: Excellent six-event sports simulation.\r\n\r\nWATER POLO: Unusual, and it's playable too!\r\n\r\nA brilliant package; on absolute must for sports fans.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 91%\r\n\r\nFISTS 'N' THROTTLES\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Elite\r\nPRICE: £9.95\r\nVERSION TESTED: Amstrad\r\n\r\nIKARI WARRIORS: Ageing, but extremely playable and addictive shooting game.\r\n\r\nBUGGY BOY: Excellent off-road race game.\r\n\r\nTHUNDERCATS: Colourful and addictive horizontally scrolling hack 'em up.\r\n\r\nDRAGON'S LAIR: Mediocre multiload arcade game.\r\n\r\nENDURO RACER: Another excellent off-road race game — this time with bikes.\r\n\r\nA good all-round assemblage, with only one weak link.\r\n\r\nAmstrad Overall: 82%\r\nC64 Overall: 83%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 81%\r\n\r\nGOLD, SILVER, BRONZE\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE: £12.99\r\nVERSION TESTED: Spec\r\n\r\nSUMMER GAMES I: Fairly good eight-event simulation marred by long multiload.\r\n\r\nSUMMER GAMES II: improvement over its predecessor, but still suffers with long loading.\r\n\r\nWINTER GAMES: The pick of the bunch with seven good events; multiload's a pain.\r\n\r\nIf you can stand the multiload, it's a reasonable package, but doesn't stand up to the likes of Game, Set and Match.\r\n\r\nSpectrum Overall: 63%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 74%\r\nC64 Overall: 88%\r\n\r\nTASTE OF AMERICA\r\nMACHINES: C64\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE: £9.99 Cass\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nSIDE ARMS: Laughably grotty parody of the horizontally scrolling arcade game.\r\n\r\nSOLOMON'S KEY: Very addictive and enjoyable puzzle game.\r\n\r\nWORLD CLASS LEADERBOARD:\r\nThe best of the series — if you can take any more.\r\n\r\nSUPERCYCLE: Easy, but exciting motorcycle racing game.\r\n\r\nTaste of America offers three nice bites, and and a side dish that'll make you throw up.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 73%\r\n\r\nCOMMAND PERFORMANCE\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE: Ams/Spec/C64 £12.99 Cass, C64 £14.99 Disk, SPEC £17.99 Disk, AMS £19.99 Disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nMERCENARY: Classic vector graphic exploration game.\r\n\r\nHARDBALL: Great American sports game with good graphics.\r\n\r\nARMAGEDDON MAN: Very tepid and pedestrian war game.\r\n\r\nLEVIATHAN: Uncontrollable and unaddictive three-level Zaxxon clone.\r\n\r\nBOB SLEIGH: Hum-drum simulation with some token strategy\r\n\r\nSHACKLED: Utterly dire Gauntlet clone.\r\n\r\nTRANTOR: Very average and unchallenging shoot and explore game.\r\n\r\nCHOLO: Slow, but fairly compelling vector exploration game.\r\n\r\nXENO: Rubbish future sport simulation that plays like a brick.\r\n\r\n10TH FRAME: Superb bowling game with lovely graphics and feel.\r\n\r\nA very mixed bag. Apart from Mercenary, there's nothing really outstanding, and Xeno and Shackled plumb the depths.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 67%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 75%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 72%\r\n\r\nHISTORY IN THE MAKING\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £24.99 Cass, C64/Ams £29.99 Disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nBEACHHEAD: Four-level combat game that has aged badly.\r\n\r\nBEACHHEAD II: Superb four-part combat game with great graphics and speech.\r\n\r\nBRUCE LEE: Classic arcade adventure with a little kick and chop.\r\n\r\nIMPOSSIBLE MISSION: Arguably the best-ever C64 game.\r\n\r\nKUNG-FU MASTER: Ageing arcade conversion that offers a bit of fun.\r\n\r\nGAUNTLET: Addictive conversion of the massive coin-op.\r\n\r\nGOONIES: Very droll puzzle/action game. Dire graphics.\r\n\r\nEXPRESS RAIDER: Pretty poor Kung-Fu Master game set on a train.\r\n\r\nLEADERBOARD: The ubiquitous golf game pops up yet again.\r\n\r\nSPY HUNTER: Enjoyable, but limited vertically scrolling blaster.\r\n\r\nSUPER CYCLE: Great motorbike racing game that's just a little too easy.\r\n\r\nWORLD GAMES: Eight weird events from around the world: ranks with California Games as the best of the series.\r\n\r\nRAID OVER MOSCOW: Fun-pack shoot 'em up with very fascist overtones.\r\n\r\nROAD RUNNER: Faithful conversion, but wrecked by an arduous multiload.\r\n\r\nINFILTRATOR: Competent arcade adventure.\r\n\r\nVery pricey, especially as most if the better games are already available on budget, or other, cheaper compilations.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 74%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 70%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 69%\r\n\r\nACTION SET\r\nMACHINE: ST\r\nSUPPLIER: Gremlin Graphics\r\nPRICE: £19.99\r\nVERSION TESTED: ST\r\n\r\nDEFLEKTOR: A rather easy puzzle game, but fun nevertheless.\r\n\r\nNORTHSTAR: Colourful and fairly addictive shoot 'em up.\r\n\r\nTRAILBLAZER: Average race game variant with a few frills.\r\n\r\n3D GALAX: A good exercise in 3D programming, but not much of a shoot 'em up.\r\n\r\nMASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: A game-of-the-film that should appeal to kids.\r\n\r\nPretty good value, even though the games themselves aren't particularly brilliant.\r\n\r\nAtari ST Overall: 74%\r\n\r\nGAME, SET AND MATCH II\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Ocean\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £12.95 cass, £17.95 disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: Spec\r\n\r\nMATCH DAY II: The best football simulation available on the Spectrum.\r\n\r\nSUPERBOWL: Average simulation that might appeal to fans of the sport.\r\n\r\nWINTER OLYMPIAD: Six-event simulation, similar to the Games series.\r\n\r\nIAN BOTHAM'S TEST MATCH: An unexciting and bland cricket simulation.\r\n\r\nBASKET MASTER: Fairly competent game with naff graphics.\r\n\r\nTRACK AND FIELD: Jolly waggling version from a few years back.\r\n\r\nNICK FALDO'S GOLF: Good a couple of years ago, but now looking very dodgy.\r\n\r\nSUPER HANG-ON: Super indeed; a motorbike race game par excellence.\r\n\r\nSTEVE DAVIS SNOOKER: Apparently the best of its kind. Who's arguing?\r\n\r\nCHAMPIONSHIP SPRINT: Super Sprint with a course designer: it's alright.\r\n\r\nSome of the games are a bit ropey, but there's plenty of variety and the whole package should keep a sports fan happy for weeks.\r\n\r\nSpectrum Overall: 82%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 81%\r\nC64 Overall: 87%\r\n\r\nTAITO COIN-OP HITS\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Imagine\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £12.99 cass\r\nVERSION TESTED: Spec\r\n\r\nRASTAN: A great exploration game with large map and plenty of enemies to hack.\r\n\r\nSLAPFIGHT: Tricky, but addictive vertically scrolling shoot 'em up.\r\n\r\nRENEGADE: Excellent conversion of the arcade beat 'em up.\r\n\r\nARKANOID: Addictive Breakout variant.\r\n\r\nARKANOID: REVENGE OF DOH: More of the some, and even more addictive.\r\n\r\nFLYING SHARK: Superb conversion of the arcade WW II shoot 'em up.\r\n\r\nBUBBLE BOBBLE: A totally faithful conversion of the amazing platform arcade game.\r\n\r\nLEGEND OF KAGE: The arcade game wasn't brilliant; neither is this.\r\n\r\nAll excellent games apart from Legend of Kage, and even that isn't too bad. A must for an avid arcade gamesplayer.\r\n\r\nSpec Overall: 94%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 93%\r\nC64 Overall: 94%\r\n\r\nKARATE ACE\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Gremlin Graphics\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £14.99 Cass, £17.99 Disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nWAY OF THE EXPLODING FIST:\r\nThe grandad of computer beat 'em ups is still fun, but badly flawed.\r\n\r\nWAY OF THE TIGER: Similar to Exploding Fist, but not as good.\r\n\r\nSAMURAI TRILOGY: Exploding Fist with swords, and it's rubbish of the very highest order.\r\n\r\nBRUCE LEE: Ageing, but thoroughly enjoyable platform arcade adventure.\r\n\r\nKUNG-FU MASTER: Reasonable conversion of an old arcade game; still addictive though.\r\n\r\nAVENGER: Compelling arcade adventure-cum-beat 'em up.\r\n\r\nUCHI MATA: A noble attempt at a judo game, but it's sadly bugged.\r\n\r\nLoads of fightin' an' fumpin' on offer - although some of the games are very similar.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 64%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 63%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 61% \r\n\r\nTRIAD: VOLUME I\r\nMACHINES: ST/Amiga\r\nSUPPLIER: Triad\r\nPRICE: £29.99\r\nVERSION TESTED: Amiga\r\n\r\nSTARGLIDER: Thrilling vector shoot 'em up with plenty of depth.\r\n\r\nDEFENDER OF THE CROWN: A hit a couple of years ago; beginning to look ropey.\r\n\r\nBARBARIAN: Fairly good icon-driven arcade adventure.\r\n\r\nQuite expensive, especially as the games are all getting on.\r\n\r\nAmiga Overall: 66%\r\n\r\nSUPREME CHALLENGE\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Beau Jolly\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £12.95 cass, £16.95 disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: Spec\r\n\r\nELITE: Classic space trading game that no Spectrum owner should be without.\r\n\r\nSENTINEL: Absolutely brilliant 3D arcade puzzle/strategy game.\r\n\r\nTETRIS: Unbelievably addictive arcade puzzle game.\r\n\r\nSTARGLIDER: Superb 3D vector shoot 'em up with tons to do.\r\n\r\nACE II: Fairly good one-on-one combat simulator.\r\n\r\nA varied selection of very high quality games; don't miss out on this collection of classics.\r\n\r\nSpectrum Overall: 95%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 94%\r\nC64 Overall: 90%\r\n\r\nSPACE ACE\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Gremlin Graphics\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £14.99 Cass, £17.99 DISK\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nXEVIOUS: Very tepid version of an Atari's vertically scrolling shoot 'em up.\r\n\r\nVENOM STRIKES BACK: More MASK antics in this average arcade game.\r\n\r\nCYBERNOID: Addictive flick-screen blaster.\r\n\r\nNORTHSTAR: Run-of-the-mill trog-across-the-landscape-and-blast-the-aliens game.\r\n\r\nZYNAPS: Challenging and compelling horizontally scrolling blaster.\r\n\r\nTRANTOR: Shoot and explore game with awful playability.\r\n\r\nEXOLON: Similar to Northstar, but marginally worse.\r\n\r\nPlenty of shooting action, but none of the games are outstanding. Still, there's hours of potential blasting in store\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 70%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 71%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 74% \r\n\r\nFLIGHT ACE\r\nMACHINE: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Gremlin Graphics\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £14.99 Cass, £17.99 Disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nAIR TRAFFIC CONTROL: All the fun of a night shift at Heathrow!\r\n\r\nSPITFIRE 40: Relive the Battle of Britain in this average simulation.\r\n\r\nSTRIKEFORCE HARRIER: Fairly average simulation of the VTOL jet.\r\n\r\nTOMAHAWK: Reputedly very accurate, but rather dull in practice.\r\n\r\nATF: Not so much a simulation; more of a mediocre 3D shoot 'em up with extra bits.\r\n\r\nACE: Fairly good combat simulator, although it s rather old\r\n\r\nA fairly good buy for budding pilots, but not recommended to anyone else.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 65%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 77%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 78% \r\n\r\nAMIGA GOLD HITS\r\nMACHINE: Amiga\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE: £24.99\r\nVERSION TESTED: Amiga\r\n\r\nBIONIC COMMANDO: Quite a neat conversion, but marred by push-scrolling.\r\n\r\nROLLING THUNDER: Nowhere near as good as it could have been.\r\n\r\nJINKS: Colourful, but repetitive scrolling Breakout game.\r\n\r\nLEADERBOARD: Same as the 8-bit, but with slightly improved graphics.\r\n\r\nNot a lot to shout about, None of the titles are particularly thrilling, even though the games work out quite cheap.\r\n\r\nAmiga Overall: 67%\r\n\r\nGO CRAZY\r\nMACHINES: Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Go!\r\nPRICE: Ams/C64 £14.99 Cass, C64 £17.99 Disk, AMS £19.99 Disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nSHACKLED: A Gauntlet clone of the most feeble kind.\r\n\r\nBAD CAT: Awful attempt at an \"alternative\" sports simulation,\r\n\r\nJINKS: Tedious and repetitive scrolling Breakout.\r\n\r\nSIDE ARMS: One of the worst horizontally scrolling shoot 'em ups around.\r\n\r\nDESOLATOR: Low-grade four-level Gauntlet game.\r\n\r\nBEDLAM: Boring and dull shoot 'em up that's devoid of action.\r\n\r\nAnd you certainly will go crazy if you buy this six-pack of turkeys.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 41%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 56%\r\n\r\nLEADERBOARD PAR 4\r\nMACHINE: C64\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE:\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nLEADERBOARD: The classic golf game - incredibly playable.\r\n\r\nLEADER BOARD TOURNAMENT: More of the same, but tougher.\r\n\r\nLEADER BOARD EXECUTIVE EDITION: Even more of the same, but tougher still!\r\n\r\nWORLD CLASS LEADERBOARD: Even more of the same, but this time modelled on real golf courses.\r\n\r\nIf you're into golfing games, this collection is an absolute must. If not, avoid it like the plague.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 78%\r\n\r\nKONAMI ARCADE COLLECTION\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64\r\nSUPPLIER: Imagine\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £9.99 Cass\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nMIKIE: Very camp four-level arcade game; it's fun, though.\r\n\r\nJAILBREAK: Bileous mockery of the arcade original. Strictly for laughs.\r\n\r\nGREEN BERET: Very difficult, but additive stab 'n' roast arcade game.\r\n\r\nYIE AR KUNG-FU: Amusing beat 'em up, but it's getting a bit wrinkly.\r\n\r\nSHAO-LIN'S ROAD: Inept platform/beat 'em up.\r\n\r\nNEMESIS: Enjoyable conversion of the horizontal blaster, although it's a little long in the tooth.\r\n\r\nHYPERSPORTS: One of the original joystick wagglers, and it's still great fun.\r\n\r\nPING PONG: Playable table tennis game, with short-lived appeal.\r\n\r\nJACKAL: Grotting scrolling shoot 'em up.\r\n\r\nAll the games are old, but they're all good fun; even the bad ones are good for a laugh! Cheap, too.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 80%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 80%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 83% \r\n\r\nIN-CROWD\r\nMACHINES: Spec/Ams/C64.\r\nSUPPLIER: Ocean\r\nPRICE: Spec/Ams/C64 £12.95 Cass, £17.95 DISK.\r\nVERSION TESTED: C64\r\n\r\nGRYZOR: Tough and addictive conversion of the arcade blast.\r\n\r\nCOMBAT SCHOOL: Seven assorted events and a combat mission - brilliant stuff!\r\n\r\nLAST NINJA: Superb six-level arcade adventure with ace graphics.\r\n\r\nPLATOON: Atmospheric and highly playable four-part game-of-the-film.\r\n\r\nPREDATOR: Enjoyable run 'n' blast film tie-in.\r\n\r\nTARGET RENEGADE: Great graphics and playability; puts Double Dragon to shame.\r\n\r\nBARBARIAN: Gory, but very gratifying hack 'n' slash fighting game.\r\n\r\nKARNOV: Bileous arcade conversion of the very lowest quality.\r\n\r\nApart from one cabbage, In-Crowd is a marvellous compilation. Nearly all the games are multiload, and offer massive scope for long-term play.\r\n\r\nC64 Overall: 92%\r\nAmstrad Overall: 93%\r\nSpectrum Overall: 93% \r\n\r\nULTIMATE: THE COLLECTED WORKS\r\nMACHINES: Spec\r\nSUPPLIER: US Gold\r\nPRICE: £12.99 cass, £14.99 disk\r\nVERSION TESTED: Spec\r\n\r\nJETPAC: A landmark in Spectrum computing; simple, but addictive.\r\n\r\nKNIGHT LORE: The original 3D isometric forced perspective arcade adventure; brilliant.\r\n\r\nALIEN 8: Another superb arcade adventure.\r\n\r\nSABRE WULF: Another mould breaker; still as fresh and addictive as ever.\r\n\r\nGUNFRIGHT: Enjoyable and highly original 3D gunfighting game.\r\n\r\nLUNAR JETMAN: Utterly superb scrolling shoot 'em up; a classic.\r\n\r\nNIGHTSHADE: Innovative scrolling forced perspective arcade adventure.\r\n\r\nATIC ATAC: Yet another classic arcade adventure - still incredibly engrossing.\r\n\r\nPSSST: Whacky and addictive arcade game.\r\n\r\nTRANS AM: Odd hybrid collect 'em up with cars. Good fun, though.\r\n\r\nCOOKIE: Tough and frustrating, but very addictive arcade-style game.\r\n\r\nAn utterly superb collection of class games. A slice of computing history that no Spectrum owner should pass by.\r\n\r\nSpectrum Overall: 98%","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"110,111,113,114,115","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Julian Rignall","Score":"98","ScoreSuffix":"%"}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[{"Text":"OVERALL TABLE: SPECTRUM\r\n\r\nUltimate: Collected Works: 98%\r\nSupreme Challenge: 95%\r\nTaito Coin-op Hits: 94%\r\nIn-Crowd: 93%\r\nTen Great Games: 89%\r\nKonami Arcade Collection: 83%\r\nGame, Set and Match II: 82%\r\nFists 'N' Throttles: 81%\r\nFlight Ace: 78%\r\nLeaderboard Par 3: 77%\r\nSpace Ace: 74%\r\nCommand Performance: 72%\r\nGiants: 72%\r\nHistory In The Making: 69%\r\nGold, Silver, Bronze: 63%\r\nKarate Ace: 61%\r\n\r\nOVERALL TABLE: AMSTRAD\r\n\r\nSupreme Challenge: 94%\r\nTaito Coin-op Hits: 93%\r\nIn-Crowd: 93%\r\nTen Great Games: 87%\r\nFists 'N' Throttles: 82%\r\nGame, Set and Match II: 81%\r\nKonami Arcade Collection: 80%\r\nFlight Ace: 77%\r\nCommand Performance: 75%\r\nGold, Silver, Bronze: 74%\r\nGiants: 72%\r\nSpace Ace: 71%\r\nHistory In The Making: 70%\r\nKarate Ace: 63%\r\nGo Crazy: 56%\r\n\r\nOVERALL TABLE: C64\r\n\r\nTaito Coin-op Hits: 94%\r\nIn-Crowd: 93%\r\nSportsworld: 91%\r\nSupreme Challenge: 90%\r\nGold, Silver, Bronze: 88%\r\nGame, Set and Match II: 87%\r\nTen Great Games: 86%\r\nFists 'N' Throttles: 83%\r\nKonami Arcade Collection: 80%\r\nGiants: 78%\r\nLeaderboard Par 4: 78%\r\nHistory In The Making: 74%\r\nTaste Of America: 73%\r\nSpace Ace: 70%\r\nCommand Performance: 67%\r\nFlight Ace: 65%\r\nKarate Ace: 64%\r\nGo Crazy: 41%"}],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":[{"Header":"Overall","Score":"98%","Text":""}],"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]