Chuckie Egg
(A'n'F, 1985)

This is one of the all-time classics on the 8-bit machines; if you've never played this game, you don't know what you're missing! You basically have to collect all the eggs on each level within the generous time limit, and also avoid the blue flamingo-like birds – they are flamingoes, aren't they? The idea is rather simple, and the graphics may not be state-of-the-art, but remember the saying, "graphics do not make a game"? This is certainly true for this game; it's amazingly addictive and fun to play.

See also: Chuckie Egg II.

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8

Unlike the first episode, this game looks and plays much more like Jet Set Willy. There are many objects to collect and to use to open doors and solve puzzles. The rooms are more open than in the initial game. The game area is huge, with many ladders and stairs to climb. Visually, unfortunately, there hasn't been much change. Chuckie is really tiny and his world is nearly colourless. The gameplay is rather good but it's difficult to avoid the numerous traps and animals that patrol the rooms. You must be pixel-perfect to have a chance to see more than three or four screens.

See also: Chuckie Egg.

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5

Rodrigo Díaz, a gallant knight also known as El Cid, is searching for a scroll that contains a spell with the power to unleash Satan's hordes. You control Rodrigo, and you must find the scroll and give it to two men of pure heart who can neutralise the spell. However, you must find your imprisoned wife Doña first, and then you must find three other objects – a lamp, a bag of gold, and a key. There are lots of enemies to battle, which will reduce your energy and strength. Your energy can be replenished easily, but you can't replenish your strength until you find Doña – and as there are so many enemies to fight and she is a long way from your starting position, reaching her is very difficult. The graphics are lacking in colour and the sound effects are poor, and the game lacks variety.

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5

It's time for the annual police race through the streets of San Francisco. It's a standard racing game where you must beat the clock and reach the next checkpoint in time. You've also got to avoid trams and cars which might block your way. However, this is almost impossible to do, because the collision detection is truly abysmal; you often find yourself colliding into invisible police cars and trams that are on the other side of the road. As a result, you soon run out of time and can't reach the next stage. Steer clear of this game!

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City Slicker
(Hewson, 1986)

A bomb has been planted in the Houses of Parliament by the dastardly Abru Caddabra and is due to blow up at midnight! As the hero, Slick, you must assemble a device (the BDU) to defuse the bomb. The parts are scattered throughout London and you have to use the Tube to get around, and you must also watch out for Abru! To be honest, the game is rather dull and also too difficult. The graphics are bad, the sound is even worse (and you should hear the imitations of Big Ben's chimes), and the controls are much too awkward.

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5

Another take on Will Crowther and Don Woods' Adventure, this is a faithful retread of the classic treasure hunt as you look to make your fortune and fame from the contents of the mysterious Colossal Cave, inhabited by all manner of creatures including elves, trolls and even pterodactyls. As you would expect with such a faithful retelling of a classic, the puzzles seem familiar enough to be not too daunting in the beginning. The difficulty curve certainly ramps up as the game progresses, but this is still a fine entry point for any curious adventurers. The text is clean and crisp with no graphics present at all. Comparisons with Level 9's version (Colossal Adventure) are to be expected and are unavoidable, and while it's not on a par with Level 9's game, this is still a decent effort that does nothing wrong but finds itself trailing in comparison.

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8

Space Invaders takes a slight twist, as rather than staying in formation, the aliens can now swoop down on you, making life that bit more difficult. Unfortunately, several of them have a go at the same time, leaving you with little room to manoeuvre out of a hail of bullets. There is one useful facility, in that the bullets you fire align themselves as you move the ship left and right. Despite the colourful graphics (and a pretty good explosion), the fun wears thin, as all the levels are exactly the same.

See also: Classic Invaders, Classic Muncher.

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5

Good old Space Invaders – it's a timeless classic. Just shoot the aliens as they move left and right in formation, as their constant hail of bullets wears down your defences. The graphics are blocky but at least there's colour, and a beautiful melody plays before the start of each level. I like the way it changes as you progress; on the first level, the melody is rather sombre, but by the fourth level, it's quite cheerful. You can even save your high scores! It's a difficult game, though; if you get past the fourth level, you must have ridiculously good reflexes.

See also: Classic Axiens, Classic Muncher.

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7

A Pac-Man clone that's better than most. You know what to do; eat all the pills in the maze and avoid the ghosts. You can also collect letters to make up words, which will give you lots of points and an extra life. Unlike most other Pac-Man games, this one is fast and it's really slick as well, but at the same time it's not too hard. Add some good graphics and several different maze designs and you've got a neat game, apart from the power pills not lasting long enough.

See also: Classic Axiens, Classic Invaders.

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7

Three classic games are bundled together in this package – Breakout, Space Invaders and Pac-Man. Breakout is frankly rubbish; there's only one row of bricks, and pretty soon, another bat appears on the screen so that you're playing Pong instead – extremely bizarre! The other two games aren't bad at all. The graphics in Space Invaders are actually rather good, and it's not too difficult. Pac-Man looks almost identical to the original, and you'll soon be gobbling up those pills merrily and whizzing your way through the five levels in little time. In summary, forget about Breakout and play the other two games to your heart's content.

See also: Classiques Volume 2.

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