ALL TOGETHER NOW

Paul Sumner reviews the latest compilations - there's gold in them thar software shelves, if you know where to look.

Ever since the Spectrum stormed into the homes of young innocent children, compilations of previously released games have been lurking on the software shelves. From the outset compilations were purchased for quantity more than quality - the largest collections seemed to give more value for money, more games per pound. But as buyers became more prudent software houses found themselves having to be more selective in what they put on their cassettes.

No longer are compilations just collections of rejected old games. With the growing importance of budget software in the sales charts (see our feature on page 45), most compilations are now slickly-presented and well-advertised packages proclaiming value for money. Most software houses have even setup departments which scour the market for games to go on compilations.

With the supposed summer software slump now past, a whole plethora of compilations is about to be released to satisfy our appetite in the dull time between The PCW Show and Christmas.

This collection of compilations shows the dilemma facing the buyer on the high street. Should you go for a great big bundle of software that you've never heard of? Or is it better to play safe with compilations of well-established oldies?

My advice is to stick with well-known titles; at least that way you won't buy a package with any really rancid games. And whatever you do don't discard a compilation just because it contains a f ew golden oldies - they're often more playable than new games for which more time has been spent on presentation than on content.

If you're going out to buy a particular game, it's worth looking around on the compilations first. Most full-price games reach their peak sales within a few weeks, so within a few months they can be on compilations, where their sales will b e steadier. If you're really shrewd you could give up buying individual games altogether, and just get the hits all in one package - though this way you tend to be about six months behind the rest of the software scene. Have a good look around, there's bound to be a compilation for you somewhere.

Note: the information boxes on this page give each game's original CRASH Overall percentage and then the issue in which it was reviewed, N/A means the game was not reviewed in CRASH.

Following in the path & Soft Aid and Off The Hook, which raised £350,000 and £75,000 for their respective charities, a new label called Backpack releases Kidsplay in midautumn and looks set to follow its predecessors. The worthy charity this time is the National Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Children, which will use the profits to combat child abuse (see the news piece in CRASH issue 43). The contents range from the 1984 Ultimate success Lunar Jetman to hits of 1987 like Xeno, Deactivators and Mailstrom. Nine of the ten games scored over 85% in CRASH - so Kidsplay gives you excellent value for money while helping a deserving cause.

KIDSPLAY
Backpack
Xeno - 86% Issue 35
Deactivators - 85% Issue 34
Night Gunner - 91% Issue 3
Marsport - 95% Issue 22
Monty On The Run - 94% Issue 20
Starion - 94% Issue 16
Mailstrom - 59% Issue 35
Starstrike - 93% Issue 11
Bounty Bob - 85% Issue 21
Lunar Jetman - 95% Issue 1
£9.99