Label: Beau-Jolly
Price: £9.95
Memory: 48K/128K
Reviewer: Andy Moss

Just when you thought it was safe to go out and buy the full price mega-game that you saved up for, look what happens - Beau Jolly goes and releases the sort of compilation tape that is impossibly difficult to resist. Isn't that typical? Now you don't know what to do.

I know what I'd do though, for me. Five Star Games is a smashing release with five games that I always thought were some of the best quality software hits of last year.

Included in this revered collection are two of your very own SU Classics namely Three Weeks in Paradise from Mikro-gen and Back to Skool that zany sequel to Skooldaze from Microsphere.

If you then add to these the masterful Zoids, the classy Spindizzy and the highly acclaimed Equinox, you have a compilation that is great value in anybody's eyes.

Back to Skool I enjoyed tremendously. In fact I hold the world record for amassing 10,000 lines in the game. The storyline is all about trying to return your doctored school report back into the Heads' safe without him noticing.

Spindizzy, although being a Marble Madness clone, is the best example of how to copy a good idea. It is very playable, and has enough differences to Marble Madness to really stand alone in its own right.

Three Weeks in Paradise is a 'Wally' game. This time he's in the jungle looking for his loved ones. Wilma and Herbert, who've been captured by natives. The large graphics are a pleasure to watch and the game itself is pure entertainment.

Zoids caused quite a stir when it was first released and seasoned hacks lined up to pay tribute to the game. Not only are you joined to a Blue Spiderzoid in the battle with the enemy, the red zoids, but also with your own mind as your own Droid's defense systems may effect your decisions if it feels threatened. A hell of a lot is packed into 48K of this game.

Finally, there's Equinox, a maze-like graphic adventure-cum-platform game, which is simple to learn and yet fiendishly difficult to solve. It's all about collecting radioactive cannisters from numerous levels before they blow up.

Forget that mega-game. Go and buy Five Star Games - you won't regret it.

MACHINE: Spectrum
SUPPLIER: Beau Jolly
PRICE: £9.95
VERSION TESTED: Spectrum

Five Stars? Dead right. The Spectrum version is more a less a galaxy of goodies all shining brightly. Quite simple a great buy. If you know somebody getting the first Spectrum, then this would be the ideal gift for them.

Because so many of the games are repeated on the various formats I've just concentrated on my personal favourites.

But first the full list: Zoids (Martech), Equinox (MikroGen), Back to Skool (Microsphere), Spindizzy (Electric Dreams) and Three Weeks in Paradise (Mikro-Gen).

Zoids is a nice little game but really doesn't match up to the standard of the Commodore version. It could almost be a different game. Spindizzy is marvellous arcade fun. Addictive, frustrating but always hugely enjoyable. Three Weeks in Paradise is classic arcade adventure. Large, colourful and very smooth 'animation.

Now for my favourites.

Equinox: You begin the game with three lives. Any contact with an alien will reduce your energy. Prolonged contact with an alien will result in the loss of one of these lives.

Each level contains a canister, disposal chutes and Level Pass. You will have to collect the level pass in order to access the next level. As you search each level for these items, your time will elapse.

The unusual combination of arcade adventure and shoot 'em up had me hooked right from the start.

The graphics are not bad and the animation of the characters is pretty good.

Back to School: you are not limited to the interior of your school in your efforts to return a forged school report to the headmaster's study.