Deep at the bottom of the Pacific ocean, you must search for the lost treasure of Atlantis. Now, the Pacific ocean covers an absolutely massive area, and that's also the case in this exploration game. Close to the surface, there are few hazards, but as you dive deeper, you will encounter lots of coral reefs which bar your way, and sea creatures that must be avoided. You also need to top up your oxygen supply regularly. The graphics are absolutely stunning, but to be honest, the playing area is so phenomenally large, and the screens are so similar to each other, that it's not worth your while trying to find Atlantis. Sadly, this is another occasion in which the programmers concentrated on creating beautiful graphics, but forgot to include a proper game.

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5

A fairy has been kidnapped, so Pacman has to journey through Pac-Land to rescue her and send her back to Fairyland. The ghosts are also out to stop him, though; one of them has a 'plane to drop bombs on Pacman, and another has a car. However, if Pacman finds any power pills, then he can kill them. There are also lots of cherries to collect along the way for bonus points. The power pills also enable you to jump higher, although this won't help you when getting past the lakes; you must waggle the joystick instead. The graphics are really colourful and really appealing to children. The same goes for the cheerful tune which gets irritating after listening to it often - although the jingle that plays when you lose a life is sublime. The game is relatively easy but it's still good.

See also: Pacmania.

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7

It's another Pacman game, but this one's in isometric 3D and it's absolutely fantastic, although the graphics are in boring monochrome. Still, you'll find that it's a great game. Each section of mazes has a different theme depending on the difficulty level, and there are three amazing tunes which will have you humming away in no time. There are also lots of bonuses to collect. It's a shame about the graphics, as they could have been much better with some colour, but this game still rocks.

See also: Pac-Land.

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9

Pang
(Ocean, 1991)

Travel across 17 nations and burst balloons as you go! There's not much of a plot to this game, but each level is divided into three screens, and you have to use a harpoon to blast the balloons. However, they will divide into two smaller balloons, and the same thing happens if you burst these balloons! If you're not careful, you'll have dozens of tiny balloons bouncing about and you'll lose one of your six lives. This is a really simple and addictive game, and it's one of the very few games around that makes full use of the Plus' extra facilities. If it was that little bit easier, I would probably have given this game the full ten marks.

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9

Grand Dizzy's toy-making machine has gone haywire and Dizzy has been left to control it! Random shapes fall out of the machine and you've got to align them with the correct slots at the bottom to make the toys. It's a bit like those toys for two-year-olds where they have to work out which shapes fit in which holes. It's yet another game that only features Dizzy so that it'll sell, and this one's absolute rubbish. It's unoriginal and boring, although the younger ones might like it.

See also: Bubble Dizzy, Crystal Kingdom Dizzy, Dizzy, Dizzy Down the Rapids, Dizzy: Prince of the Yolkfolk, Fantasy World Dizzy, Fast Food, Kwik Snax, Magicland Dizzy, Spellbound Dizzy, Treasure Island Dizzy.

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3

If you were ever a paperboy when you were young, you'll know how ungrateful your customers can be. You've got to deliver your papers to all the houses on your street by firing them into the mailboxes and avoiding people, objects and cars. You also have to make sure you don't run out of newspapers, but more can be picked up on the way. If you don't deliver newspapers to any of the houses, they'll cancel their subscription. It's a very original game and fun to play, too, although it is slightly difficult. The graphics are quite good, but amazingly, there's no sound at all - apparently the programmers ran out of memory. That's no excuse! It seems that there is also a Spanish version which does have music, but much poorer graphics.

See also: Paperboy 2.

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7

Paperboy 2
(Mindscape, 1991)

Paperboy is back to deliver some more papers. However, this time, you can also play as Papergirl (so as not to be seen as being sexist). The neighbourhoods are a little strange, though - all the streets have castles in them! You'll also have to dodge the likes of skateboarders, bouncing balls, ghosts (!), and the obligatory workmen carrying furniture or glass. The game has better graphics and is much faster than its predecessor - in fact, I think it's too fast. It also makes crashing into things a frequent occurrence, and your six lives will quickly run out. In addition, you'll only hear any sound if you have 128K.

See also: Paperboy.

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6

Have you got what it takes to join the Parachute Regiment? Your strength and stamina will be tested to the limit in six events - the 100m sprint and 100m freestyle, the tug of war, weightlifting, target shooting, and rope climbing. Completing all six events wins you promotion, and if you fail three events, the game is over. If you haven't already guessed, this is a joystick waggling game, and I hate this sort of game. You can be promoted easily enough, but further promotion is much harder, especially if you have to use the keyboard.

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5

As you may have guessed, this is a joystick waggling frenzy in which you try to complete some gruelling assault courses as quickly as possible. After a few goes, you'll probably have built up your muscles sufficiently to attempt the real thing! Among the obstacles you will face are walls, ramps, rivers, monkey bars and logs, and you'll also have to swim through a water-filled pipe and crawl through barbed wire - and unlike the other obstacles, if you get these ones wrong, the game is over. You can use the keyboard, but it doesn't work very well and makes the game a bit tougher. The graphics are OK, but there are no sound effects or music to accompany the game at all, and I dislike joystick waggling games anyway.

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4

Bruce is a springy creature who has to bounce his way across a grid, starting from one corner and attempting to reach the opposite corner. Each square on the grid represents one stage, in which you must bounce around a screen full of moving guardians, collecting some spinning discs. As well as avoiding the guardians, some of the squares are booby-trapped and will cause Bruce to fly into the air and come back to earth with a bang, losing a life. This is a nice and simple isometric arcade-cum-puzzle game, and the graphics are well presented, although movement can be slow, and the sound is fairly limited. If you like puzzle games, though, this is worth a look.

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