Producer: Software Projects
Memory Required: 48K
Retail Price: £6.95
Language: Machine code
Author: Messrs Smith and Lawson

There really isn't a great deal that can be said about this game that hasn't been said about its predecessor Jet Set Willy. Jet Set Willy II is a pretty faithful sequel.

The story begins soon after poor old Willy has had a nasty fall down the stairs. He should be in bed recovering but due to the mess left by some rather strange builders his wife Maria is having a fit and insisting that Willy tidies the house. On his journey round the mansion Willy is shocked to discover that it has a lot more rooms than he is paying rates for. The Builders are responsible, but why?

As before you must guide Willy around the house avoiding the myriad hazards razor blades and flapping loo seats to mention just two. As you pass from room to room you will notice objects be they bottles, glasses or even taps. These objects must be collected by guiding Willy over to them and touching them. This may mean having to dodge 'things' scampering up and down in your path, in which case you will have to apply a little skilful jumping. Some very nasty traps have been set for you, the conveyor belt is a cinch compared to some. Repeat the gathering process for each room of the house and hope that you make it to the end, whatever that may be.

COMMENTS

Control keys: Q,E,T,U,O: left, W,R,Y,I,P: right, shift to space: jump
Joystick: Kempston and Ram Turbo
Keyboard play: very good
Use of colour: very good
Graphics: as good as ever
Sound: nice tune
Skill levels: one
Lives: seven
Screens: over 100

I think that Jet Set Willy II is a brilliant game, but it's a shame so many of the screens are the same as Jet Set Willy. The graphics are identical - they still have the same degree of smoothness and clarity. I reluctantly have to conclude that I don't consider Jet Set Willy to be a sequel... it's more of a Deluxe version. That said, the game is still up to a pretty high standard, better in some respects.

No doubt there are many people that have eagerly awaited the arrival of JSW2. It has been a long wait and my goodness, it wasn't worth one tiny minute! Admittedly there are thousands of people who bought JSW and no doubt there will be thousands who will buy JSW2, but what you get for your £6.95 is an extra forty rooms to explore and work your way through. Great isn't it? The graphics are now somewhat dated and long past their prime. It's a shame that Software Projects didn't put their time and effort to better use and produce a totally new idea instead of extending an already dead and well-poked game. Definitely not my idea of a fun playing game, but I suppose it's quite a good buy if you haven't already got JSW1.

Here we go again on the final part (hopefully) of the Willy Trilogy. At the end of eighty-three we marvelled at the superb graphics and addictiveness of Manic Miner; in mid eighty-four we were astounded at the sheer size and playability of one of the first arcade adventures Jet Set Willy, which sparked off Poke Mania (or Candyitis as some people call it). Now a year on we can again be astounded by the playability and larger size of the same game that we were astounded by last year... I'm afraid to say that JSW 2 is not a great improvement on its parent. The main differences between JSW 2 and JSW are the extra screens and the speed - which is a touch faster, making the game slightly more playable. Another difference I have noticed is that it is easier to get into loops where you lose all your remaining lives. This is obviously very infuriating if you are well into the game. If you haven't seen JSW 1 yet (where have you been?!) I would recommend this game. I wouldn't tell players of JSW 1 not to buy this game either as it is interesting to play the extra screens. Generally I found this game playable, but I can see my interest deteriorating after a few weeks.

Publisher: Software Projects
Price: £6.95
Memory: 48K
Joystick: Kempston

It is eight months late, and Matthew Smith had very little to do with it. Nevertheless, it's here, and Miner Willy rises from the grave in the final part of the Manic Miner trilogy.

If you can clear the clouds of nostalgia for a moment and look at the game objectively, it also seems to be the rip-off of the year. Jet Set Willy II is, in a nutshell, Jet Set Willy with about 70 extra screens.

The plot is the same - Maria the housekeeper won't let Willy go to bed until he's cleaned up the house. Unfortunately, builders have been to work. Rooms are not always where they were.

If you're puzzled by all this, Jet Set Willy was the ultimate ladders and levels game, launched in 1984 and one of the biggest selling games ever.

This expanded version continues in the same vein under the coding of D P Rowson, with rooms such as Maria in Space and Beam me up Spotty. Games attacked include Alien 8, and Tribble Trouble.

Jet Set Willy II is probably as tough as the original. The Banyan Tree is as vile as ever, as is the Wine Cellar. Graphics, which amazed us all at the time, now look dated, and the music does not improve with age. Movement is considerably faster, although the infinite death traps, where you cannot escape losing all your lives in quick succession, have multiplied.

If you already have Jet Set Willy, and have waited for the final game for a year, you'll probably be a little upset. If you never saw the original, then the sequel is the one to buy, and represents very fair value for a one-time classic.

Label: Mastertronic
Author: Matthew Smith
Price: £1.99
Memory: 48K/128K
Joystick: various
Reviewer: Graham Taylor

Gawd. I used to look at this game when it first came out and wonder how it could ever be topped. It took a couple of months I think and Ultimate was the culprit. Anyway for those too young to remember, Jet Set Willy was the follow up to Manic Miner (The II is misleading - it was just an enhanced version of Jet Set Willy). It involves moving a very very tiny little man around a not-very-impressive series of screens, collecting empty glasses. Graphically, these days it will make you laugh.

Still, playing the game again after all these years one point did strike me - the gameplay is still pretty excellent. There are some occasions where your position has to be pixel perfect if you want to survive. You might still get into it but don't expect it to look nice...

PRICE: £6.95

New release from Software Projects, Jet Set Willy Two has the easy familiarity of an old friend.

It is a much extended version of the original Jet Set Willy. Willy still has to collect the rubbish from his mansion, but now it is around twice its original size, and things are not entirely as you left them.

The mood of games players is one of nostalgia. Do you remember how we spent all night trying to work out how to get past the guards at the front door? Does anyone remember how to get over the moon in Nomen Luni? Surely the wine cellar was not this difficult before?

The new rooms nearest to the bathroom are uninspiring and quickly ignored. Moving further things become far more difficult, and the problems are just as exasperating as before. Beware, for routes are not always as you remember them and you can end up in some of the worst rooms entirely by accident.

Despite its many challengers Jet Set Willy still looks good and it has lasted well. Surely, though, Software Projects could have done more than imitate their own success. New rooms are fun, but why not an entirely new house? Why not a whole new scenario?

The success of Jet Set Willy doubtless guarantees success to its extension. However, a year is a very long time in Spectrum computing, and there are better, more exciting products in the shops at the moment.

Produced for the 48K Spectrum by Software Projects, Bear Brand Complex, Allerton Road, Woolton, Liverpool.

WILL MEET AGAIN

Willy or won't he? Well, someone has, 'cos Miner Willy's back in the major follow-up to his first appearance as a jet setter. Find out what he's up to and fear not for all your old POKEs. Chris Wood, Zareh Johannes and David Smith have hacked away and come up with a complete new set.

Yes, it's here! After all the waiting Software Projects has produced another Willy game though it's not the now (perhaps) mythical Willy Meets The Taxman.

Jet Set Willy II started life on the Amstrad as a conversion from the original JSW. But the programmer added so many rooms that Software Projects heard the tinkle of the cash tills and thought it worth re-releasing on the Spectrum. And before you ask, this version was not written by Matthew Smith, who may or may not be working on something else - indeed, may or may not be working but by one Derrick Rowson.

This time round the game's been protected a might more than the original JSW and once again you have one of those funny colour charts to lose - but at least it's part of the insert this time! As all hackers know though, this only makes putting in the POKEs more fun.

So, how are the two games different? Well, all the original rooms are still there, although in some places new ones have been added to pad out the gaps in the original map. You can now get to the Conservatory Roof via the Banyan Tree and even complete it when you get there! The previously unique sprite from Under The Drive is also there now, plus plenty of other places. (Sounds as though someone's been cloning around! Ed). As for the rest of the re-decoration on the original rooms - well, the conveyor-stairways in the Chapel and Halfway Up The East Wall are just ordinary stairways now and the music is the same as in Manic Miner. The reason for that becomes obvious when you finish the game.

It has to be said that some of the rooms aren't that thrilling - the first two you see after the Bathroom contain yet another dig at Eugene Evans (remember him? I He wrote Wacky Waiters) and a reference to Technician Ted (the authors work for Marconi, geddit? Nope, well you'll just have to take a look!). From then on things start to look up - some of the rooms are really quite vicious and one, Dinking Vater? is impossible to escape from. There's also a room which you can't get to without cheating called, wait for it - Cheat.

Just take a look at the complete map of Willy's world to see how much it's grown.

But that's enough about playing it. What I'm sure you're waiting for are the POKEs! All the data for the rooms is stored in a very different format to that used by Matthew Smith. Each room takes up a different amount of data depending on its contents. For that reason a room editor would be virtually impossible to write. Even the room names are compressed - every time the word 'the' crops up it's replaced with 01 h, and 'The Megatree' with 05h and so on. Each room's data address is found from a table at 47869 (BAFDh) so you can find the compressed room name followed by its four exits - and, of course, you can change them.

It looks as though the programmer has had a crack at trying to hide the lives counter - he uses a byte with the bottom bit set (11111110 in binary) and he rotates it when you die. So, when a zero falls in to the carry flag you've had your chips. It's tough luck on the programmer, though, because when you've found this out, setting it to 255 1111111b gives you infinite lives with only one POKE. If only all programs were that easy to doctor! One side effect of this method, though, is that you can't turn off the golden oldie of a tune when you're playing the game. 'Ows about that then boys'n'girls. Aaaargh!

If you're dying to see how the game ends, you'll have to collect at least 150 of the 175 objects. This time round you'll not see our Willy exploring the depths of his loo because someone in the sickbay is doing that (Now that's sick! Ed) and the loo in the bathroom is fatal. Of course, if you reckon 150 objects is a bit steep, you can select the number of objects you want to collect. We find that one is a good number!

INFINITE POKES

Now, we've got a bit of a confession to make. Having hacked the game and come up with all the obvious POKEs we got a bit carried away. You'll see from the list that no normal person should ever want another POKE for JSW/1 again. But then again how many normal people have ever played JSW in the first place? Not us!

INVINCIBILITY

This is pretty self-explanatory. With it you'll never be killed and you're free to walk wherever the whim takes you. The only trouble is that if you walk off the Row into the sea you just fall through it, out of the bottom of the screen and back to the top again. That's why you'll need the POKE for...

WALKING ON KILLER OBJECTS

Willy walks on water - and everything else that spells death. Combined with the Invincibility POKE, you can do some neat tricks like standing on the stars in the Cold Store. Good ol' twinkle toes, eh?

INFINITE LIVES

The most obvious and most useful POKE of them all - so we could hardly leave it out.

RANDOM NUMBER OF OBJECTS

If you reckon 150 objects is a bit over the top, then this is the POKE for you. As we've said, it's 149 too many for us!

SELECT START ROOM

You'll have to be careful when you're picking the room you want to start in, as poor old Willy can get walled up. And if you land on a nasty without the invincibility POKE it can get more than a little frustrating.

NUMBER OF MONSTERS

You can use this to choose the maximum number of sprites you feel like facing in any room. This way you can give yourself a sporting chance in rooms like Eggoids and the Nightmare Room. Although you can pick a number from 1-15, there can never be more than 9. This is part of a binary AND instruction and not a simple COMPARE. This means that if you choose 3 and there are four sprites in the room, you won't get any. Of course, you can select zero but surely you want some sort of challenge. Ropes aren't affected by all this but you'll see that swing a lot faster when there's less to print on the screen. Tarzan-type tactics, I'm afraid.

FALL ANY HEIGHT

Although you can already do this if you're invincible, it can often be more fun to play the game with just a couple of useful POKEs like infinite Lives and this one.

TRIP SWITCH ON

If you 're really lazy you can use this POKE to save yourself the bother of even having to set the trip before you toddle off to the yacht.

THE TELEPORTER

Now you can really join the Jet Set - this is the age of the teleporter! As there wasn't one built in we've added it and made it a doddle to use. All you have to do is press T and that'll stop the game. Then type in the three digit number that corresponds to the room of your choice. But make sure you use three digits for the number - so, room 8 is 008. Any number larger than 134 will be ignored and any number bigger than 256 will have 256 subtracted from it until it isn't - if you see what we mean. Probably best to stick to correct range and then you won't have to stretch the old maths.

So, what happens if you transport to a room and are found dead on arrival? Or rather you land on a sprite. Well, you're just returned to the room you started from where you can give it another go. Now we can't exactly claim any credit for this as it's a built-in feature of the game. And a right pain it is too sometimes if you 're not teleporting. When you lose a life you're plonked back in a safe place but if that just happens to be a sprite start position, tough luck. It's a shame but because of the messy coding we couldn't do anything to remedy this.

SCREEN SAVER

To save a screen, select the teleporter with T and then press S. But remember to start your tape recorder before doing so. When it's finished, you can get the game going again by selecting room 000.

ARCADE

Clare Edgeley blasts her way through a wealth of challenging software.

Get fit quick just about sums up the last 12 months. 1985 has seen enough sports games to put you off doing anything more strenuous than lifting a pint glass, at least for the next year.

Since the 1984 Olympics, we have competed in every imaginable sport: played footie with Bobby Charlton, run rings round Daley Thompson and been KO'd by big Frank... There is hardly an action sport left which has not been turned into a money spinner, with a Sportsman's name attached. What is wrong with Tessa Sanderson's Javelin anyway?

Daley Thompson's Decathlon was first to the tape back in November '84 and notched up a gold for Ocean when it jumped to number one in the charts for a few weeks. You have to compete in all ten events of the decathlon, taking part in the high jump, long jump and pole vault as well as track events. The 400m is the most gruelling and to keep up speed you must pump the joystick back and forth, which may result in a touch of cramp. The graphics are colourful and the game does give a taste of the real thing.

Melbourne House also attempted a compilation of events with Sports Hero, although it was nowhere near as successful as Daley Thompson. Sports Hero has you competing in four events - 100m sprint, long jump, 110m hurdles and the pole vault, over three difficulty levels. To gain speed you must pummel the run button and press the jump button before takeoff. Aching fingers seem to be the norm in that type of game and in many cases you will end up with a sick keyboard as well. There is no sound and the graphics are not fantastic, although the scrolling background is interesting. A few more events should have been possible.

More recently, Brian Jacks' Superstar Challenge from Martech reached the top ten, although it came a poor second to Imagine's Hypersports. Both contain a weird hotch-potch of events - some interesting, others boring. Brian Jacks gives you a pretty raw deal. For £7.95 you can immerse yourself in such exciting events as squat thrusts and arm dips. Those may be thrilling to watch on TV but on computer they are about as much fun as a wet blanket.

Hypersports is a different ball game altogether. Licensed from the arcade game of the same name, the computer version is very like the original, although some events lack imagination. When swimming - or floundering, if you forget to breathe - instead of tearing down to the end of the pool, the end moves towards you. Clay pigeon shooting is certainly one of the better events, in which you must shoot the skeets through automatically moving sights. The vault is tricky and rather than vaulting as far as possible from the horse, you are likely to end up on your head beside it. The graphics are generally thought to be more professional than Daley Thompson's Decathlon, though whether the game is better is a moot point.

Jonah Barrington's Squash from New Generation is an interesting concept which seems to have fallen flat. Knock a miniscule black ball round the 3D court and try to beat Jonah at his own game. Jonah is one of Britain's leading squash players. Much was made of the fact that a taped recording of Jonah's voice calls out the scores. Unfortunately, all you get is an unintelligible gabble and it is easier to read them on the score board anyway.

We awarded imagine's World Series Baseball three stars in the June issue, which just goes to show that our forecasts are not always spot on. In June, July and August it remained at number three in the charts, only dropping to eleventh place in September.

The game opens with a traditional rendering of the tAmerican National Anthem. Then play starts, with one team pitching and the other batting. You can play with a friend or against the computer, adjusting the speed and direction of the ball when pitching and the strength and lift of your swing when batting. Loving attention has been paid to detail with a large scoreboard displaying genuine adverts between innings.

Last, but not least, boxing - the sport for ugly mugs. Cauliflower ears and battered brains are only half the fun - just think what you can do to your opponent. A few months ago three games were released simultaneously on the back of Punch Out!!, a highly successful arcade game.

Elite's Frank Bruno's Boxing knocks Rocco and Knockout for six, and is easily the most playable and realistic, offering more possible moves and a greater number of competitors than either of the other games. It is also the only boxing game featuring a sporting personality - Bruno helped in an advisory capacity during production which explains the close attention to detail.

Gremlin Graphic's Rocco squares up well in the ring, though you will find it is not as easy to dodge your opponent as it is in Frank Bruno, and there are only three competitors. The scoring system is simple and the graphics are the clearest of the three games. It is worth playing and annihilates Alligata's Knockout in the ring.

Knockout is appalling and lacks any addictive qualities. It is the only game which uses colour - the others being mono - although that could have been sacrificed for extra playability. Other than left and right punches to the body and head, there is no facility for ducking and dodging, but at least you can amble away if the going gets too rough. You tend to spend a great deal of time seeing stars after being KO'd. At least it lives up to its name.

The legendary success of Manic Miner and Jet Set Willy lives on. Platform and ladders games are still the rage and dozens of versions have landed in the Sinclair User offices over the last 12 months. Two years ago Manic Miner was a sure recipe for success, and because it was ahead of its time a lot of money was made. Programming techniques are now more sophisticated and with games like Alien 8 and Spy vs Spy around, who needs a Manic Miner spin-off?

However, they are here to stay and some at least are worth the money you pay for them. One of the more successful games is Strangeloop, released late in '84, which has gone a long way to repairing the damage done to Virgin by Sheepwalk - one of its earliest and most awful games.

A half-crazy computer is the source of all your troubles in Strangeloop and, playing the part of a metagalactic repairman, you must shut it down. There are over 240 rooms filled with lethal swarf which attacks and damages your space suit. A jetbike waits somewhere and will make your task easier but you have to locate and refuel it first. Objects picked up will help with various tasks and friendly robots will patch your torn suit. The graphics are colourful and simple. and there is even a facility for saving your position on tape, to be resumed later when you have recharged your batteries.

Jet Set Willy II is the biggest rip-off of them all as Software Projects has done little other than add about 70 extra screens to the original. Essentially it is the same as Jet Set Willy which was launched back in 1984. The plot is similar; clear up the house before going to bed and avoid the hundreds of lethal thingummies found in each room. Despite being little more than a re-release, Jet Set Willy II is currently doing very well in the charts.

Despite the lack of original thought, if you are still hooked on the challenge of platform and ladders, try The Edge's Brian Bloodaxe. A loopy game if ever there was one. Brian, a viking soldier has been trapped in a block of ice for centuries, and as it thaws, he leaps out shivering, but ready to conquer the British. Flapping 100 seats, deadly ducks and mad Scotsmen are a few of the dangers that lurk on each level. Objects to collect and chasms to be leapt add to his daunting task. Brian Bloodaxe is at least as good as Jet Set Willy, with much visual humour and bright, clear graphics.

Hewson, which has made a name for itself in recent months with arcade adventures such as Dragontorc and simulations like Heathrow ATC, must have had a brain storm late last year with Technician Ted, which is totally unlike the semi-serious games released since. Guide Ted around a silicon chip factory while looking for a plate of the real things. Pick up knives, forks and other necessary implements and avoid several nasty traps. Easy to play and reasonably addictive, Technician Ted is not one of Hewson's best games but has done quite well in the platform and ladders stakes.

Artic's Mutant Monty is more sophisticated than Technician Ted and includes some extremely tricky screens requiring split second timing - if you are slightly out, a lemon or some other incongruous object will squash you flat, and then where will the beautiful maiden be? it is a constant source of amusement that so much work goes into preparing intricate story lines bearing absolutely no resemblance to the game you are playing.

On the whole rip-offs are uniformly mediocre in standard and not the sort of game you would buy for lasting playability. Real fanatics will find Activision's Toy Bizarre and Micromega's Jasper a doddle, and probably have more fun playing blindfold with their hands tied behind their backs. Both games are average and employ run-of-the-mill graphics. In Toy Bizarre, the player leaps round the levels of a toy factory popping balloons while being chased by a gang of irate toys.

Meanwhile, in Jasper much the same thing is going on, only this time you are a furry rat collecting money bags and treasure chests while avoiding furry cats, rabbits and other hairy animals. Platform games are usually fast moving and it is generally easier to keep up with the pace using a joystick. Unless you have very strong fingers, Jasper is doomed as your only option is to use the Spectrum's sticky keyboard.

Arcade adventures have come into their own in recent months, some remaining for weeks at a time in the top ten. With the advent of games like Gyron, fewer people are willing to put up with games like Jet Pac - classics two years ago but now gathering dust in cupboards across the country.

Superior graphics is the name of the game and the Spectrum is being stretched to its limits in a constant effort to improve software. Some games combine excellent graphics with originality, though equally large numbers have been launched on the back of the successful few. Ultimate's Knight Lore, Underwurlde and Alien 8 are three successful examples and Nightshade is expected to do as well.

Underwurlde is rather like a vertical Atic Atac featuring the Sabre-man who must escape a series of chambers while avoiding hosts of nasties. The pace is fast, the screens colourful - a devious game.

Knight Lore and Alien 8 could, at first glance, be mistaken for the same game. Featuring superb 3D grahpics, Knight Lore's hero must search a maze of rooms and find the ingredients of a spell to lift a curse placed upon him. Each room presents a challenge and one wrong move spells instant death. The scenario in Alien 8 is different from its predecessor and the quality of graphics is even higher.

Wizard's Lair from Bubble Bus is an Atic Atac lookalike with shades of Sabre Wulf and is an excellent game, even if you have seen the same sort of thing before. Bubble Bus has made some attempt to change the scenario which covers three levels, accessed via a magic wardrobe lift.

The programmers of Firebird's Cylu were influenced by Alien 8. Cylu is in the Silver range and at £2.50 represents very good value - it is almost as frustrating as the original but the graphics are a little patchy. Ultimate should be proud that so many companies want to copy their games, though it's a crying shame that those same software houses cannot put their combined programming expertise to good use, and produce something original of their own.

Games featuring film scenarios and famous names are often the subject of massive advertising campaigns, and Domark's A View to a Kill was no exception. Played in three parts you must guide the intrepid 007 through the streets of Paris, San Francisco and into Silicon Valley to stop the evil Max Zorin from tipping chip valley into the drink. The game received mixed reviews but, at the time of writing, it had just made it into the top ten - probably due to the James Bond name. It is an exciting game but lacks much visual detail.

The Rocky Horror Show from CRL is already sliding down the charts and does not live up to its namesakes, the film and play. Rescue Janet or Brad from the Medusa machine by finding 15 component parts of the de-Medusa machine. It sounds riveting. Your task seems enormous as you can carry only one part of the machine at a time and if you expect to meet normal sane characters in the castle, forget it. More could have been made of the graphics and the action is slow in places, but it is worth playing if only to meet Magenta who will strip you of your clothes. Wow!

Beyond's Spy vs Spy is unique and features simultaneous play between two players on a split screen. Take part in the zany humour of MAD magazine's two famous characters, the black spy and the white spy, each trying to stop the other finding secret documents in a foreign embassy. Set whacky traps as you ransack each room before escaping to the airport. It is fun, highly addictive and very amusing. Buying the licence to films, books and names is an expensive business, and at last one company has made the most of it with an excellent game.

It is interesting to note that when one unusual game is launched others of a similar nature swiftly follow. Perhaps all programmers follow the same thought waves. Last summer we had an unusual trio of games, reviewed in May, June and August issues. Two are based on the human body - not the most obvious subject for a game.

Quicksilva's Fantastic Voyage is a thrilling game based on the sixties film of the same name, in which Raquel Welch is injected into the body of a brain damaged scientist. Unfortunately, your mini-sub breaks up and you have only one hour to locate all the missing parts. Searching is a novel experience as you rush from atrium to stomach to lung and heart in a never ending circle. Finding your way to the brain is difficult as it is not signposted and the turning is easy to miss. Dine on red blood cells to keep up your energy and clear any infections which frequently break out - normally in the most inaccessible parts of the scientist's anatomy. A great way to learn about your bits, and where they are situated.

Icon's Frankenstien 2000 bears little resemblance to Fantastic Voyage, though it is played in a monster's body. Whoever heard of monsters smoking fags? This one obviously did and that is probably why it's dead. On reaching the lungs, battle with cigarette packets, avoid hopping frogs in the trachea, and fire at any oxygen molecules it is your misfortune to encounter. The graphics are uninspired and the game is simple.

Genesis' Bodyworks was reviewed in June and it is difficult to know what to make of it. It is hardly an arcade game - more of an illustrated, educational tour of the workings of a human body, describing the nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems.

Space Invaders was one of the first great games on the Spectrum and software houses have never tired of the theme. Space games crop up in all categories; simulations, adventures and arcade adventures. Activision has even brought out Ballblazer, a sports game played in space. Way out!

Moon Cresta from Incentive is a traditional game in which you shoot everything in sight, and then dock with another space ship before taking off to do exactly the same on the next level. With complex games like Starion around one would think that games of this calibre would flop. But no, there must be some people around whose brains are in their trigger fingers. Surprisingly, Moon Cresta is creeping up the charts. Long live the aliens.

Melbourne House's Starion takes space travel seriously and combines a number of features, including the traditional shoot 'em up, word puzzles and anagrams. Kill off enemy space ships and collect the letters they drop, then unscramble those to form a word. Fly down to earth and answer a puzzle to change the course of Earth's history. There are 243 events to rewrite - and that amounts to a lot of flying time. Starion is well up in the top ten.

System 3 has come up with the goods against all opposition with the dreadful Death Star Interceptor, which has proved surprisingly popular. If you are really into boring games, this is right up your alley. Played in three sections, first take off into outer space, next avoid assorted aliens and then, as in Star Wars, plant a bomb in the exhaust port of an enemy death star. It is all thrilling stuff.

Quicksilva's Glass is amazing to look at. Psychedelic colours make you want to blink in this repetitive but addictive game. There are hundreds of screens to blast through, and whole sections are spent dodging columns as you hurtle through a 3D spacescape. The rest of the time is spent shooting radar antennae off unsuspecting space ships. The graphics make up for any limitations in the game and demonstrates that a traditional shoot 'em up need not be boring.

This final section consists of a number of games which cannot be categorised. A strange mixture falls into this area - many are shoot 'em ups in some form or another, others require an element of cunning and strategy.

Gyron from Firebird, a Sinclair User classic, is a unique game in which you must travel through a complex maze, dodging massive rolling balls and keeping a watchful eye on the guardian towers to be round at each junction. Those shoot at you, but approaching from another angle may change the direction of their fire. As there are two mazes to get through, it should take months. Gyron is likely to deter arcade nuts, but for those with staying power, it is an attractive proposition. It did make a brief appearance in the top ten at the time of writing, but has since fallen away.

US Gold's Spy Hunter, based on the arcade game of the same name, is a faithful replica of the original. It all takes place on the road as you drive your souped-up sports car through a variety of traps laid down by the baddies. Equip your motor with a variety of weapons, obtainable from a weapons van which you drive into Italian Job style. Rockets, smoke screens and oil slicks are all strongly reminiscent of 007.

Elite's Airwolf is a game that we found so hard as to be almost impossible, and which everyone else seemed to find a cinch - and told us so in no uncertain terms! Try if you can, to fly your chopper down a long, narrow tunnel to rescue five scientists stuck at the end. Blast your way through walls, which rematerialise as fast as you can destroy them - a well nigh impossible task for those whose trigger fingers and joysticks have suffered from the likes of Daley Thomson's Decathlon. Airwolf has done better than we predicted. You can't win them all.

Ghostbusters, the mega box office hit last Christmas was a prime candidate for a computer game and Activision was first to the ghost. Featuring all the best parts of the film, it was an instant success and Activision did well to launch it simultaneously with the movie. Drive around the city coaxing ghouls into your ghost trap but listen out for a Marshmallow Alert. That giant sticky marshmallow man is quite capable of flattening whole streets unless halted. Greenbacks play an important part in the game as you have to buy your equipment to get started, and earn enough prize money for the number of ghosts caught, in order to take part in a final showdown with Zuul.

Finally Tapper from US Gold - another Sinclair User classic. Tapper is a simple but refreshing game centered round an all-American soda bar. You play a harassed barman, who must serve his customers with drinks. Easy at first as you slide them down the bar but wait until they have gulped down the fizzy stuff. Running backwards and forwards between four bars, make sure the customers have got a drink, and catch the empties as they come skidding back. There are three difficulty levels, each one faster and more hectic than the last. Tapper is moving up the charts and we are sure that it will go far towards refreshing the parts other games cannot reach.

The fierce competition over the last 12 months has chased many companies into liquidation. There have, however, been successes, particularly with a number of small software houses bringing new blood into the market. That can only be seen as a healthy sign.

The lack of QL games software is the only disappointment. Where is it? Other than a few basic programs such as Reversi, which cut its eye teeth on the ZX-81 years ago, there has been a dearth of games for this flagging micro. If games of the quality of Knight Lore can be produced for the Spectrum, why not for the QL?