Compete against other speedway riders and progress through the local and national championships, before setting your sights on winning the continental championship and that coveted trophy. There are four other riders and that also means you'll be competing in four races consisting of three laps of an oval track. On the novice level, you should win the local and national championships without any bother, but the continental championships are much harder, and it's the same if you're playing on the professional level. Despite there being one track, and each race lasting about 35 seconds, I still find it a nice game to play for a few minutes at a time.

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International 3D Tennis
(Palace, 1990)

How about a more surreal form of tennis? The first time I played this, I nearly fell off my seat laughing; it's so funny to watch two stick men hit a little block about. This game is in full 3D for added realism, although it takes a long time to get used to it. You can choose from four skill levels, and you can play against the computer or a friend, or take part in a tournament, and you can also go for a full season of tennis. The tunes on the menus are quite good, but the game is a bit slow. The impressive 3D graphics are initially appealing, but I think this one's for the fans.

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After destroying the computer on the planet Nonterraqueous, our hero must now escape and find a planet that offers safety – but there are 42 planets in this system, and he can't simply fly from one planet to another one of his choice. Instead, there is a complicated transportation network with lots of connections between them. If you're thinking that this sounds boring, it certainly is! The graphics are awful, and so is the music – although it can be turned off. There is very little scenery, and one section of a planet looks much like another. There are also aliens which fly around the planets, but they are no real threat. You'll need to make a map or you'll become hopelessly disorientated, but the game is so boring that you won't want to make the effort.

See also: Nonterraqueous, Soul of a Robot.

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A group of four saboteurs have entered the headquarters of a castle which is full of Nazi soldiers. Three of the saboteurs have been captured, so you must rescue them, kill as many soldiers as you can, and grab lots of treasure as well. The castle consists of four floors, but before you can use the lift, you'll need to find a pass. Making a map of each floor is essential, as the castle is very large, and you'll need to know the locations of first aid kits, ammunition, keys, and watch your energy and supply of ammunition very closely (which you can do by pausing the game). The graphics are excellent, and taking into account the size of the castle, completing even one of the missions, let alone all four of them, will keep most players occupied for a long time.

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8

In Invasion of the Zombie Monsters, you take control of Ned, who must try to save the world from the zombie hordes and take back his girlfriend! The game starts with a well drawn cartoon introduction and a catchy tune which I particularly enjoyed. The graphics are well drawn and colourful. The sprites are detailed, as are the effects like the explosions and the shining of the bolts that the hero fires. The sound is good with simultaneous music and effects. The scrolling is mostly smooth and fast but sometimes becomes jerky. The gameplay is enjoyable; it is fast-paced with great collision detection and keeps the player in readiness. The grab factor is strong. Most people will play it again after completing it. Overall, a very good arcade game.

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Invitation
(Loriciels, 1987)
Reviewed by Guillaume Chalard

You’re locked in a strange house, and you have only six hours to find the way out. Next time, think twice before accepting an invitation... There are several keys and weapons hidden in the rooms, but searching costs a lot of time. To make it harder still, you’ve got company – there are rats, ghosts, dogs and other creatures. The graphics are cute, but there is no sound. Well, this game isn’t really exciting; you can’t progress because objects are placed randomly when you begin a new game. It’s a question of luck, and of keeping your self control...

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Iron Lord
(Ubi Soft, 1990)

Despite the fact that it was reviewed in British CPC magazines, this game was ultimately never released in the UK for the CPC, and shame on Ubi Soft for not doing so, because this is one of the most amazing CPC games ever! As the heir to the throne of your father's kingdom, you have returned from the crusades to find that your evil uncle Zolfkar has overthrown him and brought terror to the land. It is your task to gain respect among the people by performing various tasks, and to gather an army to fight Zolfkar. When you have defeated Zolfkar, you are then taken to an arcade section where you explore dungeons and fight monsters. This game takes up two whole discs – it's that big – and everything about it is beyond words. You'll have to be able to understand French to play it, though...

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Professor Roland Ironsphere was working in his secret laboratory one stormy night when a bolt of lightning struck the laboratory and transported him into one of his own experiments. He is now trapped in an iron sphere and must traverse 100 hazardous screens collecting diamonds. At least one diamond must be collected from each screen in order to win, but if you don't collect all of the diamonds on a screen, they will turn into bombs the next time you visit. Your sphere's power is also limited and will need to be recharged regularly, so you must try to learn where recharging points are located. The concept is extremely simple, but this is a nice little game which is fairly addictive as well and has that 'one more go' factor.

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8

Ishido is a puzzle game and its title means "The Way of Stones". It is a tile-matching game where you need to match colours and symbols in order to score points. The graphics are well drawn; there is a satisfying degree of detail and the colours used produce nice visuals. The sound is good too. The in-game tune, in conjunction with the graphics, creates a Far East atmosphere. The background is dominated by dragons and Buddhist symbols. The gameplay is pleasant and rather simple, but the player should be careful not to make mistakes because they cannot be easily corrected. Thus, the challenge level is quite high. The grab factor depends on whether you decide to progress, or just resign from the start. If the answer is the former, then Ishido will grant the player many pleasant and challenging moments.

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In seven days' time, Dr. Destructo is going to destroy the world, and the only way you can prevent this is by sinking all his ships, by shooting 'planes and helicopters out of the sky so that they fall on the ship. In later levels you'll also come across islands and even a space shuttle. The game has a cartoon theme throughout with some beautifully colourful graphics, and it's amazing to witness the sky changing as day turns into night and back again! The sound effects are great, too – lots and lots of noise! This is a brilliant game and a great way to let all that tension out.

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