Everyone should know about sudoku - the puzzle game in which you must fill a 9×9 grid, ensuring that each number from 1 to 9 appears only once in each row, column and 3×3 block. You can choose to play either a randomly generated puzzle from one of four difficulty levels, or attempt the "128 level challenge" - and if you somehow manage to solve all 128 levels, you really can crown yourself a Sudoku Master! The game is very well presented indeed, which isn't surprising, as the programmer was involved in the French demo scene for many years. Some of the colour schemes are horrible, though - but thankfully, you can change them easily. The music that plays during the game is quite relaxing and not distracting. Fans of sudoku will certainly enjoy it.

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Six rubies belonging to the Sultan of Baghdad are hidden inside Hampton Court maze. However, the ghost of the Sultan's bodyguard still roams the maze and is waiting to catch any intruders! Your task is to collect all six of these rubies. Unfortunately, the game is written entirely in BASIC, and it takes ages to draw your view each time you move. Your energy decreases quickly as well, and it's only possible to rescue one ruby at a time before re-entering the maze; in summary, it's extremely boring.

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This Olympics-inspired game was originally released in 1984, but it wasn't until four years later that it was released for the CPC on US Gold's Gold, Silver, Bronze compilation. There are seven events to compete in - the pole vault, diving, the 4×400-metre relay, the 100-metre sprint, the freestyle relay, the 100-metre freestyle, and skeet shooting. Most of the events are quite good and thankfully don't involve a lot of manic joystick waggling, although obtaining a good result in the pole vault and diving events seems to be mostly down to luck. It's also very difficult to beat the computer's default records in most of the events. Despite these flaws, there is a very varied mixture of events to play which will keep you entertained.

See also: California Games, Winter Games.

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In the 22nd century, stations orbit the Earth and harness the Sun's energy to grow crystals that are used for interstellar travel. However, things have gone wrong; the disrupter pulses have gone awry, and your task is to shoot them and collect ten crystals on each station before warping to the next one. Each station consists of a 30×30 grid, and you can only move horizontally or vertically. It's difficult to know what to say about the graphics, since your view of the grid is represented using coloured tiles - it's certainly unusual, if rather primitive. The constant noise of your engine is annoying, and the game itself is a bit repetitive.

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In this game, you're battling it out with other cars in the race to win the championship. There are three stages, nine tracks and the hazards increase as you progress. If things are getting tough, though, you can buy some add-ons for your car, or if you have the money, you can get yourself a new, faster car - and in the later stages of the game, you're going to need to! The graphics are basic but do their job, although the sound effects are useless. This is compensated for by the excellent music, which is only available if you have 128K. The game is made better by passwords which mean you don't have to restart the first and second stages each time you play.

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Get on a motorbike and race around twelve tracks, and reach the chequered flag before your time runs out. The first few tracks are relatively easy, but on later tracks, you'll encounter obstacles which you must dodge. Watch out for the other riders, who have a nasty tendency to try to bump you off the road or crash into you! Three of the tracks contain flags which you can collect to gain bonus points. This is a very enjoyable game indeed. The graphics are colourful, and you really get a feeling of speed as you fly past the scenery and the other riders. There are also three difficulty levels, although the lowest one is much too easy! Thankfully that's not the case with the other two difficulty levels.

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Super Hang-On
(Electric Dreams, 1988)

Race across four continents, each divided into several stages, and make it to the final stage before your time runs out. You can choose which of the four races to compete in. Each one is located on a different continent, with Africa being the easiest course and Europe the hardest. Your motorbike has a turbo booster which you can only use when it has reached its normal maximum speed of 280km/h - you'd better hang on when you use it! Unfortunately it's not a good game. The graphics are ugly and colour is used poorly. The music which briefly accompanies each race is tinny, and the time limits are so tight that if you make the slightest mistake, you have very little chance of reaching the next checkpoint. This is not one of the better motorbike racing games.

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It's not easy being a god, and to prove your worthiness, your fellow gods have set you a challenge. The aim is to defeat five Guardians roaming inside a large labyrinth - but you do this by destroying their spirits, and they aren't located in the same rooms as the Guardians. Before looking for the Guardians, it's necessary to find four items - a pair of shoes, a bag, a hammer and a helmet - which enable certain actions such as jumping and carrying objects. It's an isometric exploration game, and if you're a fan of the genre, you'll instantly recognise the inspiration for this game. The graphics are very detailed, although the size of the screen is a bit small. However, although it's good, it seems to lack something in comparison with other games like it.

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New York has become a dangerous place in the year 2089. Crime is rife, and armed gangs of rival thugs roam the streets, killing each other and many innocent citizens. But who's this on the scene? It's Superkid! You have to fly around each level, restoring order by flying into the thugs. A lever at the bottom of the screen shows how much crime there is; if it goes too far to the right, you lose a life. Your aim on each level is to rescue children and to guide the pensioners safely to their rest home, preventing the thugs from killing them. The graphics and music are both good, but the game quickly becomes monotonous, particularly by the third level when it's a lot more difficult to help out the citizens.

See also: Skatin' USA, Superkid in Space.

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Aliens are threatening the Earth, and it's up to Superkid to save everyone. Superkid must travel to five of the alien planets and find four nuclear detonators so that he can blow the planet into oblivion. There are a variety of aliens which behave differently and which will sap your energy if you touch them or the bullets they fire. Fortunately Superkid has a gun and lots of grenades at his disposal, and lots of ladders which magically extend up to the nearest platform. The game retains the look and feel of its predecessor, with colourful graphics and cute (maybe too cute) music. It's also a better and more enjoyable game to play thanks to the smaller levels.

See also: Skatin' USA, Superkid.

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