New York Warriors
(Virgin, 1990)
Reviewed by Ninja Wonderboy

It's the year 2014 and an evil cult is brainwashing the people of New York, turning them into psychotic criminals. Only a brave duo remain on the path of law and order - the Warriors! And as if life wasn't bad enough being the only good guys in town, some rogue has planted a nuclear bomb at the top of the World Trade Centre, and it's your job to deactivate it (which, bizarrely, you do by shooting at it!). There isn't really much to recommend this game, not forgetting the terrible events of 11th September 2001 when the World Trade Centre was destroyed; it's fun for a while but the difficulty level means you won't be getting far without cheating. Also, the slowing down that occurs is pretty bad, especially in two-player mode. On the plus side, the graphics are reasonable - blocky but detailed - but it's not enough to save this game.

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4

The New Zealand Story
(Ocean, 1990)
Reviewed by Chris Lennard

Some evil walrus (!) has stolen a whole bunch of kiwis - those flightless birds which are one of New Zealand's national emblems. However, they missed one, and now it's payback time as this kiwi grabs a bow and arrow and heads off for revenge, rescuing his kiwi buddies in the process. You control the lone survivor, jumping and waddling around the place, leaping from platform to platform as he journeys on a quest to rescue his fellow feathered folk. Each level is split into three stages; to complete a stage you need to find a caged kiwi and rescue it. At the end of the third stage, it's time to fight a giant boss before you can progress to the next level. It's a cute-looking game that's well worth playing.

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8

NEXOR
(Design Design, 1986)

In the war between Andromeda and Earth, a top secret weapon named NEXOR, after the planet it was developed on, is to be deployed by Earth's forces. However, the Andromedans have infiltrated the base and killed all of its workers - except you. You have three hours to find the ten pieces of the weapon and the blueprints, and send them to Earth using the matter transference beam - but you'll need to fix it first. This is an exploration game which is viewed in an isometric perspective. The complex has many floors and rooms, each containing hazards such as bombs, mines, and Andromedan robots. There's not a lot to make this game different from all the other isometric games that exist, although it's not that bad if you're a fan of the genre.

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6

Nigel Mansell was the best known British Formula 1 driver of the 1980s, and this game lets you drive his famous 'red 5' Williams car in the sixteen races of the 1987 season. The emphasis is on realism here, as a wealth of data is displayed on the bottom half of the screen. A turbo booster is available to increase your speed, but don't overuse it, otherwise you'll run out of fuel - and in 1987, refuelling wasn't allowed during a race! You will also need to be careful not to over-rev the engine, otherwise the gearbox will break down. The graphics are impressive and really convey a sense of speed as you blast around each track at over 200mph. It will require a lot of practice to become World Champion, but this is definitely one of the best Formula 1 games for the CPC.

See also: Nigel Mansell's World Championship.

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8

Nigel Mansell finally won the Formula 1 World Championship in 1992, and this game celebrates his achievement. As always, you can race or practice on any or all of the sixteen circuits of the 1992 season. A variety of options are given to enable you to set up your car correctly for each circuit - which tyres to use, the wing angle, and the gear ratios. You'll need to watch your tyre wear as you race, otherwise you'll retire. Going out on to the track feels strange at first because the animation is very jerky indeed, but you should become used to it after a while, as despite this problem, there is a real sense of speed. The overall presentation is incredibly polished, and the graphics are absolutely beautiful, even if everything is coloured blue. This was Gremlin's last release for the CPC and nearly wasn't released at all, but thanks to the support of Amstrad Action readers, it was - and it's pretty good!

See also: Nigel Mansell's Grand Prix.

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8

This is a Tron clone where you can play against either a friend or the computer. Like all games of its kind, the aim is to stay alive for as long as possible without crashing into the walls or the trails left behind by you and your opponent. Each player has four lives and losing a round means that you lose one of them. Eventually, someone will lose all their lives first, and the other player then wins. The graphics and sound effects are minimal in the extreme, and it'll keep you occupied for about five minutes - but no more than that; it's too easy to beat the computer.

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3

Dracula is being hunted by Von Helsing, and on each of the ten levels, you, as Dracula, have to collect five keys and three parchments. You also have the ability to metamorphose into a werewolf, which allows you to jump over traps in the floor and on platforms, and a vampire bat, which allows you to fly over water and reach other areas of the level quickly. You will need to replenish your blood supply often by grabbing people and biting their necks, and on later levels, watch out for certain people who can kill you instantly with their weapons! This is a great platform game with some of the most beautiful and detailed graphics on the CPC, although some of the traps on platforms can be hard to spot, which can be annoying. Even so, it's still a really enjoyable game.

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8

I don't know enough history to tell if these facts did really happen, but this is what the game's inlay says. Around 1941, Hitler's battleship Bismarck ruled the Atlantic Ocean. Nevertheless, the allies created a torpedo bomber called Grumman Avenger. It carried a crew of three consisting of a pilot, an engineer and a tailgunner. Although the control panels are very detailed and realistic, the graphics are quite simple (you are supposed to be flying over the sea at night), and so is the sound. Due to things like these, I've never been too keen on flight simulators. Nevertheless, I must admit this one is quite good, as you take the place of all the crew members, and you can also choose among a lot of training and combat missions that will prepare you to confront the Bismarck and its escort.

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7

See also: 1943.

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7

This game is based on the Battle of Midway, which as all World War II historians will know, happened in 1942... but it would be a bit silly to release a sequel to 1942 which was called 1942, wouldn't it? Ah, well! This game sees you (and a friend if you want) in your P38 Lightning aircraft, taking on the might of the Japanese air force and navy on your own. The graphics and sound effects are better this time but I don't like the music very much. The biggest let-down, though, is that there are only four levels - after that, they just start repeating.

See also: 1942.

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7