You play a toddler named Jack, and the aim is to cause as much havoc as possible! Starting out in your bedroom, you must roam the town, creating chaos whenever you can. And the more trouble you cause, the higher your naughtyometer goes, the aim being to get it as full as possible. But beware, because all the grown-ups are there to give you a good spanking. A truly great and original game; the graphics are wonderful and detailed, the music and sound effects are good and catchy, and the challenge is just right - Jack has many lives as well as a sizeable energy bar, so games last a good while. A true classic, and better than its sequel.

See also: Jack the Nipper II.

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9

Jack is back... and he’s angry! You’ve been parachuted into the jungle, wearing nothing but your nappy, and you must fight wild animals (that wear sunglasses!), throwing coconuts at them. This sequel is really funny. First, it is huge and the graphics are really different from one area to the next - but Spectrum port syndrome strikes again! Anyway, there are many places to explore and it’s easy to get lost in this game. It’s rather difficult, too, and you must move very carefully (even though, like cats, you’ve got nine lives). Eventually, the action is pleasant and... well, this is a very good platform game!

See also: Jack the Nipper.

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7

The tale of Jack the Ripper has remained a part of folklore for more than a century - an unknown murderer who roamed the streets of London's East End and killed five women. This text adventure sees you stumbling across the murder scene of the Ripper's first victim, Mary Ann Nichols, on the night of the 31st of August 1888, and subsequently becoming the prime suspect after a run-in with the police. This was apparently the first computer game in the UK ever to receive an 18 certificate (although this was arguably a calculated move by CRL to gain publicity for it), and the prose is definitely gory and stomach-churning, with descriptions of mutilated heads and organs ripped out of dead bodies. The parser is quite good and the prose creates a suitably frightening atmosphere, but avoid it if you're squeamish.

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8

There's been a mass jail-break! Thousands of convicted criminals are armed and loose on the streets of New York, and the warden has been taken hostage. You must be one heck of a cop, because you've been sent in alone to rescue him! As this super-cop, you shoot your way from left to right through six grossly difficult levels, avoiding enemy bullets, vans and pedestrians. The graphics are kind of blocky and not very detailed, but they're also bold and colourful, and there's a very cool little tune on the title screen, accompanied by some nice digitised speech. Alas, the in-game sound effects are pitiful (there are only about three effects) and also, the game's difficulty is sky-high, but it doesn't really matter; it's actually quite addictive and reasonably good fun.

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6

Rankin' Rodney has to gather his four instruments which are scattered about the screen. Each instrument is in a separate corner, but the screen is divided into several areas of different colours, and Rodney can only move from one area to the other by using the conveyor belts. There are also musical notes which float about, and running into them causes Rodney to lose whatever instrument he's carrying. It's hard to avoid them, and that's what lets this game down. Mind you, it's worth playing just to listen to the funky music!

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5

Ride your jet bike around several courses and try to beat the other three riders to cross the line first. Three sets of courses (lakes, docklands and coastlines) are on offer, and you can select standard and expert levels. Standard level requires you to complete the course within a certain time; it doesn't matter if you come last. However, if you fail to beat any of the other three players on expert level, you're out. The graphics are beautiful and there's some nice music and digitised speech. I think the expert mode is far too hard, though.

See also: Championship Jetski Simulator.

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8

Jack likes listening to groovy music, and in this platform game, he has to collect all the musical notes on each level, while avoiding all the hazards - and there are many of those. There is a total of ten levels, and you must manoeuvre Jack around each screen, being careful to get on and off the lifts and moving platforms at the correct moment. You'll also have to watch your head; there are stalactites and monsters protruding from the ceilings, and if you touch them, you'll lose a life. There is also an energy bar which needs to be replenished frequently. This is a fast-paced game which is marred by being very difficult indeed. There are so many obstacles on each screen, and you rarely have time to think! It's a shame, because the game would otherwise be fun to play.

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6

The sequel to the classic Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy is another of those strange games where you jump around impossibly difficult screens and avoid weirdly abstract bad guys. The story behind this one is that, having just bought a mansion and had a huge house-warming party, his housekeeper won't let him into his bedroom until he gathers all the trinkets from around the mansion's grounds that his guests have scattered about. So instead of firing her on the spot, Willy sets out to do just that. The graphics are colourful and actually quite good in a simplistic way, and there are a few nice sound effects, but don't even think about finishing this game! Despite being supplied with an unholy amount of lives, this game sets new standards in difficulty! The mansion is too huge, the monsters are too plentiful, and it doesn't even tell you how many items are left to get! Nevertheless, a fun and addictive game.

See also: Manic Miner.

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7

If you have ever wanted to know what it's like to run your own shop, this game may well interest you. You are the owner of a small toy shop in a little town, but you have greater ambitions. Customers will enter your shop and ask for an item, and you have to walk over to the display and fetch it for them. If you take too long doing this, or the item isn't available and you fob off the customer with excuses, he or she walks out and your reputation diminishes. At the end of each day, you must replenish your stock. Eventually, you should earn enough money to expand your business by moving to a better location and selling other items such as clothes, books, electrical equipment and computer games. This is actually a fairly entertaining game with colourful, cheerful graphics, although some people may find it rather easy and lacking any real challenge.

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7

You would think with all the football management games that have been released for the CPC, that this one, released in 1992, would be excellent - but some people never learn. You're the new manager of Kettering FC, who finished third from bottom in the Conference league last season, and you're entrusted with restoring the team's fortunes. There are several things wrong with this game. The transfer market system is stupid; the players magically become defenders, midfields or forwards depending on what vacancies you have in your team, and the game is far too hard - you're doing well if you score any goals in the entire season! There isn't even an option to save the game! This game definitely belongs in the relegation zone.

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