BIGBOX THRILLS!

What's the best way to catch up on all the great games that appeared on the Spectrum a while back. One: go out and buy every single one and spend a fortune? Tow: pop around to your mate's house and nick his copies? Or three: take a trip down to your local software shop and snap up one of the great new compilations? Well, one's only for the stupid, two's only for complete basts, so it must be three! NICK ROBERTS gives you the low-down on the current hits in compilation land!

US Gold
£16.32

Save yourself a stack of 10p's by getting a copy of US Gold's Coin Op Hits II. The five arcade smashes are Dynasty Wars, Ninja Spirit, Vigilante, Ghouls 'N' Ghosts and Hammefist.

The outstanding game in the bunch is Ghouls 'N' Ghosts, which was a 92% Smash when it was first reviewed! It's a platform shoot-'em-up with excellent scrolling scenery and graphics. The action is real addictive from the start.

If you like something with a bit more punch, Vigilante may be more up your street. Lots of kicks, punches and general violent behaviour is what it's all about as you battle your way through the street gangs of New York.

Fed up with modern day action? Fighting in a different time is just a load away with Dynasty Wars. The game is played entirely on horseback with the objective being to battle with eight legions of enemy infantry and cavalry to eventually polish off the evil warlord, Thung Choc!

Hammerfist speaks for itself really, doesn't it? More violent action, but this time the setting is in 2215 AD. The world is controlled by holograms and when two of these go wrong all hell breaks loose. You have got to stop the destruction.

Last but definitely not least is Ninja Spirit. This is one for all fans of ninja games with plenty of swordsmen, samurais and wolves to be popped off and of course, oodles of weapons to help you.

Coin-Op Hits II's mainly for beat-'em-up fans with each game having a similar style. Ghouls 'N' Ghosts comes out top of the heap.

Dynasty Wars: 15/20
Vigilante: 16/20
Ghouls 'N' Ghosts: 18/20
Ninja Spirit: 16/20
Hammerfist: 17/20

US Gold
£15.99 cass
Reviewer: James Leach

Yikes. This compilation's got more violence in it than Gary Glitter's got sequins! Of course, I'm no stranger to extreme physical trauma. Andy's always hitting me over the head for no apparent reason. (Thwack! Ed) Like that. (Cough.) So what better way to release all my pent-up anger and frustration (but keep my job at the same time) than to get well and truly stuck into some serious Speccy GBH? Banzai!

VIGILANTE

Vigilante is pure martial arts beat-'em-up (along the lines of Renegade) and sees you jumping around New York trying to rescue Madonna. (Or someone with exactly the same name.) There are the usual fighting moves, and weapons to pick up, and stuff like that, and, er, that's about it really. The graphics are nothing special, and the colour clash can get a bit severe at times, but overall it's just about fast enough to keep your interest up.
1991 Rating: 69°

NINJA SPIRIT

By some weird coincidence, Ninja Spirit also sees you with 2 characters, only this time one is literally a shadow of the other, doing exactly what the first one does. They both wander around the mazy dungeony-type castle hacking and slashing at the dozens of mystical warriors who toddle up bravely to get their heads cut off.

The combat and movement is nice and zappy but it lets itself down by having a very, very confused background. This is a pity, because otherwise the game would be perfectly good fun to play.
1991 Rating: 71°

DYNASTY WARS

A funny one. It sets you up as one of a clan of oriental horseriders trying to wipe out an empire of nasty evil warriors. They're nicely drawn, giving a sort of Japanesey feel to the whole thing, but they're too small and tend to get confused (like Ninja Spirit) in battle. The combat itself is unsatisfying because you've got to hold down Fire to put more aggressiveness into each blow, and then you find that it's really easy to kill everybody by just sliding around the screen from side to side. But strangely, it's also a game you'd quite like to get to the end of. Again, showing its age, but endearing.
1991 Rating: 80°

HAMMERFIST

Hammerfist is very much in the Last Ninja 2 mould. It's about some bloke who shoots a big gun and a girl who jumps quite high in the air who together take on the cyberpunk establishment of the future. You control first one character and then the other, according to which suits the particular situation. There are some well-funky graphics and a fair bit of puzzle-solving to do, and, all in all, it's fast-paced, highly addictive and generally pretty spookalicious.
1991 Rating: 87°

GHOULS 'N' GHOSTS

This is better. No Japanese street-fighting here. Just simple, easy-peasy ghost killing. You play Arthur, picking up weapons and points as you wend your way towards a large castle. Undead people burst up out of the ground, terrifying vultures swoop down, and trapdoors open and close with little or no warning. G'n' G is a lot of fun. It's got simple, clear graphics, and a good mix of puzzles and tricks to keep your interest from flagging. There are nice touches of humour too. like the wizard chappie who turns you into a duck when you shoot him. It is getting old and lacks the sort of novel twists you see in the best shoot-'em-ups, but still manages to carry itself extremely well.
YS Rating: 82°

Oh dear. Didn't quite have the punch I was looking for, that. None of the games are classics, and time hasn't been too kind to them, but then again they're not totally crap either. The only trouble is I'm still feeling incredibly violent. (Thwack! Ed) And I think I'm about to go and lose my job...