This is another Galaxian clone, but it's really fast. Each level has five waves, and you can choose to start on any of levels 1 to 5. Each wave of aliens moves differently, and you'll need to learn their moves in order to destroy all of them. You'll also need exceptionally quick reflexes to dodge the missiles that the aliens fire at you. Although the graphics and sound effects may be rather basic, and the gameplay is totally unoriginal, it is extremely intense; if you can survive for more than a few minutes, you're doing well.

More information on TACGR

6

Battle of the Planets
(Mikro-Gen, 1986)

Zoltar has declared war on the entire universe, and you have to defend five planets against his fleet of spaceships. Take out a few of them, then head towards the planet's surface where more spaceships can be shot and you can get a chance to refuel and repair your shields. Once that's been accomplished, it's time to take off and hyperspace to another planet, before Zoltar's cohorts kill all life on any of the other planets. It's not the most interesting game – it's just the same old blasting and planet-hopping all the time.

More information on TACGR

6

It was such fun playing battleships with your mates at school, using only a pen and paper! So why would you want to play it with a friend on a computer? Granted, you get to watch a nice sequence showing your ship firing at your enemy's ships and watching them burst into flames if you hit them, but can you really trust your friend not to look at the monitor while you position your ships? You can still play against the computer, though, and this is probably your best bet – and keep the salvo fire option on, otherwise you'll only get four shots a turn and games will drag on for ages.

More information on TACGR

6

Terrorists have seized some missiles and threatened to destroy the world. The US government has decided to send tanks and helicopters into Battle Valley, where the terrorists' six bases are located. The tanks are used to destroy cannons, rocket launchers and missile tracking stations, but some of the bridges are damaged and you'll need to use the helicopter to collect pontoons and winch them on to the bridge. The graphics and music are impressive, but the controls are awkward; to turn around, you have to press the fire button twice quickly, and to go faster, you must also press fire twice quickly and the direction you're moving in. Anyway, it's a rather tedious game, because the scenery doesn't change and a lot of time is spent driving back and forth between bases.

More information on TACGR

5

It's another Breakout clone, and it's certainly not the best of the bunch. While the graphics are reasonable, there are next to no sound effects. What really annoyed me, however, was the size of the bat; it's too small, and it moves rather slowly so that you can't reach the ball in time. Each level also has an alien that fires large bullets which always seem to get in your way. All of this makes clearing the first wall a tough task – and why are there so many bricks that require more than one hit to clear?

More information on TACGR

4

You've just bought a new beach buggy, so what better way to test it than to participate in the Dune Trials and race along a series of tracks, jumping over boulders and shooting down any helicopters flying overhead? This is certainly not your average race course! As with most racing games, you must reach the chequered flag within the time limit. Your fuel supply is limited, and it'll run out quickly if you crash too often. Fortunately, more fuel can be collected along the course, and thankfully the buggy is indestructible – it must be a great buggy! The graphics are colourful and a nice tune plays throughout, although there's no music. It's a really easy game to get into, and the difficulty level is set perfectly.

More information on TACGR

8

Beach Head
(US Gold, 1985)

A dictator has control of the fortress on the island of Kuhn-Lin, and your mission is to storm the island and recapture it – but you'll have to battle with the enemy forces first! The first stage of the game is a sea invasion where you sink the enemy's aircraft and ships, although there's a secret passageway you may take to surprise them. Once you've blown them away, you can land on the beach and make your way to Kuhn-Lin by tank. When you reach the fortress, you have to aim your gun at several targets before the turret lays waste to your tank. This is one of those games that was once good, but which has since dated; it doesn't have much appeal any more.

See also: Beach Head II.

More information on TACGR

5

Beach Head II
(US Gold, 1986)

The dictator is back! It's a war between the allies, led by J. P. Stryker, and the dictator's armies. There are four stages to the game in which you must first parachute them into the enemy fortress and reach the turret. Your can then control the turret and use it to shoot tanks and jeeps as the enemy attempt to stop you. When you've got your remaining men into the helicopter, you have to go on an obstacle course, dodging gunfire and other obstacles, before the final confrontation with the dictator himself. The game isn't as good as its predecessor, despite the fact that you can control either the allies or the dictator, and the graphics are awful.

See also: Beach Head.

More information on TACGR

4

Bedlam
(Go!, 1988)

You are a cadet in the Stellar Imperium's pilot academy, and as your final test, you must fly an X12 Fighter craft across sixteen sectors to prove your status as an élite pilot. It's just as well that this is only a simulation machine and not a real X12. Actually, this is yet another vertically scrolling space shoot-'em-up with nothing new in it at all. The graphics are quite good, but there's no music and few sound effects. The stages are quite short, but if your spacecraft is destroyed, you have to start at the beginning of the stage, and another problem is that there are no power-ups which enhance your firepower.

More information on TACGR

6

The evil archbishop has kidnapped Quasimodo's girlfriend, Esmeralda, and Quasimodo has to negotiate the hazards strewn about the tower, including arrows, rocks, barrels and chasms. On each screen he has to reach the bell and ring it before his time runs out, or he'll be struck by lightning. As soon as you look at this game, you know that it's going to be awful. The graphics and sound are rubbish and the overall presentation makes it look like it was written in BASIC (and it mostly is!). It's also quite tough, and you need more than three lives.

More information on TACGR

1