Baby Jo is lost in the park, and his mother is worried about him, but being a strong and brave little baby, he makes his own way home. There are four levels which take Jo through the park and some caves and mine shafts, before emerging again in a housing estate and his mother's house. This is a jolly platform game which has 'cute' written all over it; the graphics in particular are marvellous and really colourful, and the scenery and the types of monsters that Jo faces are also cute. The levels are big and are divided into several sections; if you lose a life, you restart at the beginning of the section you died on. There are also passwords for each level, which is also very helpful. The only problem with the game is that there is no sound at all!

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8

Back in the early days of the CPC, Central Solutions were well known for always releasing games that were truly abysmal, and this is no exception. Aliens have invaded Earth and are destroying the cities, and you must shoot them. How original is that? Each level takes place on the same single screen with four cities represented at the bottom. The aliens zoom around the screen, dropping bombs on the cities, and if they are all destroyed, the game is over. If you shoot enough aliens, you can go to the next level, which is more or less the same as the previous one. The graphics and sound effects are primitive and there's nothing to make you want to have another go at the game.

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The ship in which you are travelling has entered a black hole and emerged into a parallel universe. You have to get it back into the real universe by somehow making antimatter and combining it with matter. This is an adventure game which involves collecting objects and turning them into new objects, from which you eventually end up making antimatter. You'll need to be rather good at science to work out all the puzzles! You've also got a limited supply of oxygen which will need to be replenished frequently. The graphics are OK but the music (if you can call it that) is terrible, the man you control walks much too slowly, and at the end of the day, the game really isn't all that interesting.

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6

Back to the Future Part II
(Imageworks, 1990)
Reviewed by Pug

We've all seen the movie, so there's no need to explain the premise behind this one. The game opens with the hoverboard chase, which looks very dull in monochrome, where you race to the town hall while taking on Biff's cronies. The second level looks more appealing graphically, as you help Jennifer leave the house unnoticed. A dull monochrome beat-'em-up follows this, leading to an animated sliding puzzle game. The final level is similar to the first one. The graphics vary, the music is good, but the game doesn't work too well, as some of the stages are sluggish.

See also: Back to the Future Part III.

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Back to the Future Part III
(Imageworks, 1991)
Reviewed by Pug

Imageworks got their act together with this game and made better use of the CPC. Again, great presentation upon loading followed by good visuals. In this one, you are chasing the train in order to save Dr. Brown's sweetheart. You start on horseback, which is well animated, and travel along entering various towns. The scene changes to a 2D shoot-'em-up with cowboys and Indians. Beyond this, you face Mad Dog's gang in an isometric shootout. This game is a great improvement on the previous one. The graphics and sound are all spot on.

See also: Back to the Future Part II.

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Back to the Golden Age
(UBI Soft, 1991)

A great mage once ruled the world by using the power of four magical crystal balls, or Edres. The mage held one of the Edres, and three priests held another Edre each. However, one of the priests has stolen three of the Edres in an attempt to take over the world. You are Zad, and have been entrusted by the great mage to recover the missing Edres. This is an arcade adventure where you explore castles and dungeons, collect potions, fight knights and warriors, buy supplies, and cast various spells, although the descriptions of what they are used for are often very cryptic. The graphics and animation have been done superbly, and the game itself is really big and one which will keep you occupied for a long time.

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8

A patient is critically ill, and viruses are spreading around his body. Bactron – a yellow blob of antibiotics – must reactivate the enzymes which have been sterilised by the viruses. The game involves lots of exploration, trying to locate the enzymes in the patient's body while avoiding the viruses which will drain your energy if you touch them. It's a race against time as well; more viruses are being produced and the patient's temperature is rising. The enzymes are shown as yellow cubes, and activating them boosts Bactron's energy, but don't touch the light blue cubes! The rooms are viewed from an isometric perspective, and the graphics are absolutely gorgeous, especially considering the year it was released. The music is wonderful and really groovy, and it's a nice game with a clever plot.

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8

Bad Cat
(Go!, 1987)

Inspired by the Olympic Games, the stray cats of Los Angeles have teamed together to hold their own competition. Up to four players compete in four events. There are two obstacle courses to negotiate, a game in which you must jump into the air and catch geometric shapes while trying not to fall into a pool of water, and a ten-pen bowling game against a dog, in which you bowl balls and try to hit each other with them. Between each event, you have to travel across the city to the next event on a motorbike. (These cats are really cool!) The graphics are well drawn, but the game seems to be aimed at children, as I found it to be far too easy, and unless you can find someone else to play against, there isn't enough challenge to make you want to play it again.

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5

Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja
(Imagine, 1988)
Reviewed by Ninja Wonderboy

Ninja games are always welcome in my house, and this one has a plot to die for. Ronnie Reagan has been kidnapped by ninjas and you, as the 'Bad Dude' Blade, must rescue him. But instead of launching a full-scale investigation, Blade sets out to find the President by walking along the back of trucks and through the sewers, taking on whole armies of ninjas! Cool! Well, actually, not that cool, because this game could have been so much better. The graphics are nice and colourful, if a little blocky, and the sound is fine; it's just the lack of a two-player option, and a general rushed feel to the game that let it down. Still, lots of cool power-ups, a good variety of levels and some great end-of-level bosses rise this above the average.

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7

Most of the Earth has been turned into a wasteland, and the only form of entertainment is racing, with bullets and missiles. There are three drones (cars), and to stay in the game, you must win all the races which take place over four laps, although there are oil slicks, bombs, and spikes which litter each track. During the race, spanners appear on the track, and collecting these lets you upgrade the car or buy some missiles. The game is too easy, though, and you can tell it's a Spectrum port by the graphics – they're terrible!

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