A Remote Excavation Module has been sent into some underground caverns, to collect radioactive deposits – the sort of task which is certainly not recommended for humans. However, the caverns contain lots of boulders which are lying on unstable soil, so be careful where you move the robot. You've guessed it; this is a Boulder Dash clone, but it's not very good, really. I suppose it would be OK if the graphics were better and the scrolling wasn't jerky. At least there are passwords to allow you to skip levels you've already completed.

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Renegade
(Imagine, 1987)
Reviewed by John Beckett

By far one of the greatest, if not the greatest scrolling beat-'em-up on the CPC, Renegade has you playing a vigilante who must go and meet his girlfriend on the other side of town. But instead of catching the tube (the first level is set in a tube station, for crying out loud!), he decides to walk there, disposing of various gangs and their leaders on the way. The difficulty level is just right, the graphics are great – detailed, fluid and colourful – and the game has some of the catchiest tunes to come out of the CPC's speakers. The levels are all suitably different, each populated by its own gang (the junkyard's motorbike gang is a particular favourite of mine), and the Renegade himself has an impressive arsenal of moves available to him – punches, back kicks, headbutts, flying kicks etc. To be honest, I can't find fault with this game; it's a classic!

See also: Renegade III: The Final Chapter, Target Renegade.

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Renegade III: The Final Chapter
(Imagine, 1989)
Reviewed by John Beckett

When I first played this game, I had to double-check that it was actually a Renegade game! It's totally different from its classic predecessors, Renegade and Target Renegade! Where the first two were humourless, gritty and ultra-violent beat-'em-ups, this game's more like an episode of Dr. Who! Anyway, you play as Renegade, as you wander through different time zones (prehistoric, Egyptian, mediaeval and the future) in search of your girlfriend (some things never change!), who's been kidnapped by bad guys from the future. Why? Dunno! And instead of fighting chain-wielding street thugs, you must take on cavemen, mummies, dragons and aliens, to name a few! Overall, good cartoony graphics, decent sound, but it's also very, very tough. Not a patch on the original, but worth a blast nonetheless. Oh, and how strict is that time limit?!

See also: Renegade, Target Renegade.

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Iraqi terrorists have hijacked a jumbo jet full of passengers and are threatening to blow it up. One of those passengers happens to be our hero Ricky's girlfriend – so can Ricky single-handedly fight off all of the terrorists and rescue the hostages on the 'plane? It may or may not have been a coincidence that this game was released during the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991, when Iraq invaded its neighbour, Kuwait. The game is a beat-'em-up divided into two sections. Unusually, the graphics in the first section are in the high-colour, low-resolution mode, but in the second section, everything is drawn in the four-colour, higher-resolution mode. This is a fairly good game overall, although the end-of-level opponent in the first section is far too hard – and if you're wondering how to use the motorbike, open one of the doors to the 'plane and grab the key!

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Aliens have set up a base in the depths of Earth's oceans, and you have to locate their base in the lost city of Atlantis and destroy their leader, Korx. The entrance is hidden in an old wreck, and you'll need to make a hole in the wreck to find it. You've also got to explore the vast labyrinth of caves and make gold bars using the mould you're supplied with – but you'll need to find a heat source first. The underwater creatures make life difficult for you, too. The graphics and animation are good and the music is excellent, but like most Dinamic games, it's too difficult, and far too big as well – it's easy to get lost. It's a departure from Dinamic's usual style of game, and it's not one of their better moments.

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Return of the Jedi
(Domark, 1989)
Reviewed by Chris Lennard

Breaking away from the first two vector-based games, this is an isometric scroller. The first level involves guiding Princess Leia through the forests of Endor on a speederbike avoiding the Stormtroopers and the omnipresent trees. The next stage involves guiding the Millennium Falcon through the incomplete Death Star, avoiding the dangerous protrusions in order to take out the central reactor and then escaping in reverse as it blows up. Stage three involves more of the first but with even more trees and Stormtroopers. Finally, you take control of an AT-ST, avoiding the Ewoks' logs and boulders in order to reach the shield generator. Nicely presented, but a disappointingly repetitive and difficult game that lacks the fun of the prequels.

See also: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars, Star Wars Droids.

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Return to Oz
(US Gold, 1986)

Follow the adventures of Dorothy as she leaves her home in Kansas and finds herself in the magical world of Oz again, encountering such bizarre creatures as the Wheelers, the evil Princess Mombi, Jack Pumpkinhead and the Nome King. This is one of those icon-driven adventures where you can only select a limited number of commands – in this case, only eight. It's mainly aimed at children, and everyone else will find it far too easy; for example, if you select the 'use' command, the program will only let you select objects which you can use in the room you're in. The graphics are mediocre as well and there are no sound effects at all.

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Now here is a highly bizarre and original game – map out a 3D landscape which you can't see! Before attempting each landscape, you're given a view of it and have about five seconds to memorise it. Then you must control a gyroscope and manoeuvre it over all of the hidden squares, while avoiding the enemies and sticking to the very strict time limit. If you manage this, you then have to move the gyroscope to a flashing square to go to the next landscape. It's difficult, and it helps if you have a photographic memory, but my goodness, the urge to have another go is there in bucketfuls.

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Take one of Clive Sinclair's unloved C5 machines out for a drive around the suburban roads, avoiding all the cars, motorcycles and other monsters (it's dangerous out there in the suburbs!). The game is a flick-screen affair, and if you crash your C5, you are taken back one screen. The problem is that often you'll be moved to a position where it's impossible to avoid hitting something, so you're moved back even further. The roads are too narrow, and even on the easy mode, it's too difficult; some of the gaps you have to squeeze through are far too small. The graphics and sound effects are appalling, and although the name of the game is amusing, there's nothing else to laugh about.

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Revolution
(US Gold, 1986)

This is an ingenious puzzle game in which you control a bouncing ball. There are eight levels, each containing four puzzles which are selected at random each time you play. Each of the 32 puzzles contains two red blocks, and to solve the puzzle, you must first hit one of the blocks with the ball to turn it white, then do the same to the other block quickly, otherwise the first block will turn red again. If you succeed, both blocks disappear. Controlling the ball is initially difficult, but it's essential that you master it. The concept of the game is simple, but the puzzles are cleverly designed, and once you master the controls, solving each puzzle brings a real feeling of satisfaction.

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