If you started talking about a 'four pack' here at CRASH towers, chances are you'd be immediately lynched by our sad and desperate hacks in search of their next drink. But no, this particular bulk buy bargain is actually four fab games from Atlantis. Alan Green went for a dip.

Atlantis
£3.99 cass

First up there's Superkid, starring young Tom Essex, brother of the singing David. This little chap has extraordinary strength and can fly (don't try this kids, it could be dangerous - Ed) since he drunk his clever uncle's latest special formula - he thought it was a bottle of lemonade!

Meanwhile, the Mayor of New York is well racked off with the violence on the city's streets, particularly all those bully boys roaming around blasting each and anything else that gets in the way, for that matter. Yep, the situation's getting pretty heavy and there seems no stopping them. That's where Superkid comes in as the last stand for law and order (yawn).

This is a Neighbourhood Watch scheme on a grand scale. Young Tom flies around cities rescuing maidens in distress (hoorah!). This entails grabbing silly young girls (I say!) marooned on the city's rooftops and lowering them safely to earth. He's got to escort the OAPs on their ramble back from the library to the rest home and presumably rescue pussies from trees as well. Needless to say, he punches the living daylights out of all those nasty hooligans as well.

Basically, this game supplies a few giggles and a bit of fun zipping around the screens in pursuit of justice. Although doing little for your score, punching the old bids is particularly enjoyable (Alan, you need help, urgently - Ed).

SPOOK!

Spooky Castle, on the other hand, is rather devoid of anything that might be construed as enjoyment. But if you're a fan of frustrating and pointless platform games with naff graphics, this might well grab you're attention.

Back on the plus side is Crack Up. The title's probably derived from one's usual reaction to Break-Out games, and this is one such ball-bouncer (missus). In my humble opinion, this is possibly the BEST ever version! It's just bouncing a ball against a load of bricks, I know, but it's got loads of special features and different screens to give the idea a new lease of life.

HOT LEAD

Finally we've got Crossfire, for all budding armchair snipers out there. You play a policeman (eve-nin' all) during the wild days of mob rule in Chicago. You're up against the likes of Al Capone, Legs Diamond and other unspeakably treacherous villains (is that the Ed on the screen there?) and you're among the last coppers who remain law-abiding and upstanding (and probably poor - pillocks!).

And what better way to keep the peace than annihilating all the crooks? Yes, it's the 'get them before they get you'syndrome as the villains appear over walls, in windows etc, poised to shoot. You gun 'em down from a sniper's-eye view. But don't wipe out the innocent citizens (who are daft enough to keep on popping up in the line of fire) or you'll lose points.

As its rather tricky to spot the difference between a crook and an innocent citizen, you end up blasting a lot of old men, pregnant mothers etc from the face of the Earth (so much for justice). Other than this petty complaint, there's some degree of entertainment to be had wiping people out in Rambo-style proportions.

Although a couple of the games are a bit naff, this is one hell of a bargain, with something in there to suit anyone (apart from a disembowelled frog, possibly).

ALAN [85%]

Those budget software houses really know how to make the most of their games. They were all good value for money when released separately but now they've been gathered together you just won't be able to resist them! There's a good range of game styles in the package, shoot-'em-up, arcade adventure and Break-Out so there's no excuse for being bored. My favourite has to be Superkid. Written by the Shaw Brothers, programmers behind many an Atlantis game, it's a great little arcade romp. The graphics are small but cute and there's lots of colour on the buildings and backgrounds. 4 Game Pack No 1 may not include the best Sporty games but is superb value at £3.99. That's wider £1 per game-amazing!
NICK [55%]

REPLAY

Whiffy, spiffy, tiffy and thoroughly nifty. Prey gentle molluscs, take your seats for the great YS roundup...

Atlantis
£3.99 cassette
Reviewer: Jon Pillar

From the depths of Atlantis come tour ex-bargs in one plastic box. Value, or what? (He says scampishly).

CROSSFIRE

A pre-Op Wolfish shooting gallery, Crossfire is a fine test of reflexes and hand-eye coordination. As a game though, it gets very samey very quickly 'cos there's no variation an the basic shoot-chappies-in-windows idea. The dull graphics don't help - "downtown" Chicago looks more like Kettering on a Wednesday afternoon. On first loading you'll play for ages, but after that you probably won't bother with it again.
57°

SPOOKY CASTLE

Completely dreadful arcade-adventure with tacky graphics and randomly positioned enemies. Inexcusably boring and inept. Not even worth it for the curiosity value.
21°

CRACK UP

Yer basic wall busting game, this has all the usual features of the genre - lasers, multiple balls, variable speeds etc. Admittedly it's good fun for a while, but it's really no different from a zillion other games. Splash out on Arkanoid2 instead.
61°

SUPERKID
After glugging down a pint of secret formula by mistake, Tom Essex has been transformed into the kid with the cape and the clout. A neat flit about beat-'em-up, this game has you rescuing OAPs and would-be suicides whilst rapping the noses of rampaging gangsters. The chunky graphics and uncomplicated gameplay make it a fun way to pass those long, lazy evenings.
74°

A very average pack, with Superkid the only game of note. Crossfire and Crack-Up are playable in the short term, but Spooky Castle is a waste of tape. Better to save the cash for a rainy day and then buy cheap umbrella.

Label: Atlantis
Memory: 48K/128K
Price: £3.99 Tape
Reviewer: Matthew Denton

Life goes on doesn't it? Past disasters like earthquakes, tornadoes and the new Atlantis 4 Game Pack. The feeble four on offer here are Superkid, Spooky Castle, Crossfire and Stack Up, which were all previously available as separate budget titles.

Superkid is young Tom Essex after he drinks some Liquid X and finds that he has the strength of twenty toddlers and can now fly. Bored with his diet of rusks, he vows to battle crime wherever it raises it's ugly sawn-off shotgun, which basically involves saving stranded women and escorting old ladies home. All this may not sound too exciting and it's not - if you can stay awake through the game and can be bothered to get up, up and away.

Spooky Castle deserves awards for it's unoriginal plot, feeble graphics and awful sound, the latter consisting of about four beeps. If this puts you off then good, because the rest is worse. To start with it is just soooo frustrating, mainly due to the frequent deaths caused by a ghost that whizzes out just as you re about to complete the screen.

I thought this game was very difficult but I soon found out why - the whole game consists of about 20 screens and I completed it in about half an hour!

If you thought that Spooky Castle was the worst game on this pack, then wait because Crossfire is even worse. It's an Op Wolf clone in which you must wipe out the mobsters of Chicago. There is a total lack of violent action, due to the graphics (the baddies look as menacing as poodles) and sound (just bleeps for dead baddies and bloops for dead innocents) What seals it's doom is that there is no variation AT ALL, with only two enemies who just sit there so that you can shoot them!

Crack-Up is a breakout variant with the usual multitude of power up capsules to liven it up, including lasers, bat extensions and extra lives. It's all been done before but this is a competent clone all the same and it does has a certain addictiveness about it. However, one good game can't save a pack.

I think it's obvious what the final conclusion is - two absolutely appalling games, one very boring game and one quite good game. This is one pack you should leave on the shelf for some other sucker to buy.

GARTH:
Whoops! And Matthew was doing so well. I don't agree with his mark. I think that four games at a quid a head is fine value. The best games are undoubtedly Stack Up and Spooky Castle but the four games will last a couple of days regardless...