Anarchy
(Rack It, 1988)

Shoot all the blocks on each level whilst avoiding the monsters, and then when you've done that, find the exit block with an inability to fire! You also can't shoot blocks if you're next to them - you have to get a run at them, if you see what I mean. The graphics are a bit simple but they do the job, as do the sound effects and the music. It's still a good game to play with some tight time limits, although the keyboard controls are really awkward.

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7

An android has been sent to shut down a nuclear reactor which is going to explode. You have to battle and blast your way through 14 screens containing mutant monsters, and when you reach the reactor and shut down, you've got to make your way back to the screen where you started from. The game is absolutely awful, though, with ridiculously simple graphics and sound effects, and it's also too hard.

See also: Android 2.

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3

A new menace has come to invade an alien planet. You control the new improved Android 2, and have to clear five Millitoids from three zones - the Maze of Death, the Paradox Zone, and the Flatlands - within a time limit. You've also got to avoid walking into the indestructible robots and stepping on the many mines scattered about the zones. The graphics are fairly basic, the sound effects are poor, and the animation and scrolling are jerky, all of which lessen the appeal of a game which could otherwise have been reasonably good.

See also: Android One.

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5

Angel Nieto won thirteen motorcycle World Championships in the 50cc and 125cc classes back in the 70s and 80s, so why you ride a 500cc motorbike in this game is a mystery to me. Anyway, you're competing with ten other riders in the World Championship, with four tracks to race in. Yes, there are only four tracks! Despite this, it's actually a pretty good game. There are no qualifying sessions and you automatically start last in each race, but you can practice each track beforehand. The graphics are very good and it's not too slow either, although the engine noises aren't very realistic at all.

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8

Here's an original twist - a hexagonal pool table! You can play against a friend or the computer at any one of over 20 different table layouts. There are only seven balls on the table instead of the normal fifteen, and if you fail to pot a ball three times, you lose the frame. There's not that much else to say about it, but one nice feature is that you can design your own table layouts and save and load them for later use. Oh, and the title music is awful, but that doesn't matter too much.

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7

Officer Bob has to get into his police car and catch litterbugs, drunks and speeders, as well as arresting criminals. Each day, you're given a quota of offenders you have to catch, and every other day, there's a criminal for you to look out for. You can also buy improvements to your car and collect doughnuts to give you extra time, and there are bags of money lying around, too - although they may be booby-trapped! The graphics are all right, and the sound effects are reasonable enough, but it's a brilliant game - chasing cars is great fun! Unfortunately, there are a few annoying bugs.

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9

In this very, very dull Sorcery-style adventure, you play the role of a wizard who must collect items and give them to other wizards in order to get a certain amount of silver rings. You fly so slowly across the screens that you could think you are crawling. The places you visit are inhabited by sundry creatures stupidly pacing up and down, and which come back when you have killed them anyway. If you happen to enter a room at the place where a monster is generated, you will lose all your lives at once. The graphics are not too bad, but that does not mean they are good either. The sole positive point is that you never really get annoyed by all the flaws in the game, because its slowness and its lulling tune soon make you sleep, and when you wake up, your time has run out and the game is over!

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2

The story of this game is original; a bubble begins its quest from the bottom of the ocean, and you need to guide it through the dangers of deep water to the liberty of the surface! The controls are rather simple and easy to learn. You should try not to touch the surrounding rocks and sea creatures because the bubble will lose energy. The graphics are cute and colourful and happy tunes that remind us of old songs play during the game, although you can also turn them off. The grab factor is high. The quest of the bubble and the adventures you can experience through it can make you want to try again and again to succeed in reaching the surface. Overall, this is a pleasant game based on an original idea and is well executed by CEZ Games Studio.

7

A highly aggressive spider from South America has mated with local spiders, and the local town is infested with them! In each of the seven affected suburbs, there are fifteen houses that are literally crawling with these deadly spiders. Starting in any of the houses, you must locate and destroy the nest and use your 'bugometer' to find the house that contains the queen spider. Destroying it is much easier if you have the flamethrower, but you'll need to find the right pieces first... The graphics are unbelievable and everything is superbly presented, although the difficulty level is high; if you're bitten just four times, the game is over, although you can restart on the same level you died.

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8

Codemasters certainly took things too far by tacking the word 'simulator' on to this game! It's a very straightforward arcade game with three levels based on the three world wars, with varying scenery and 'planes for each level. You have to shoot down a certain number of enemy 'planes and bomb their base to progress to the next level. The graphics are actually very good and there's some nice music on the menu, although the sound effects aren't up to much. The game itself is pretty average and there's little to do in it other than shoot 'planes.

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6