SPEED MAKES UP FOR UNORIGINALITY

Memory: 48K
Price: £5.95

In Munnery's Mergatroids, for the 48K Spectrum, you must pilot your ship, The Spirit of Watford, across the desolate valley of the Mergatroids, blasting the aliens which swarm up to meet you from the distant mountain range.

Graphically the game resembles the arcade Battle Zone, with both aliens and scenery outlined against the dark backdrop. The simplicity of the graphics is more than compensated for by the 3D effect and the speed of the game, and quick responses are needed as you swerve to left and right while hammering away at the enemy.

Lacking originality, the program is nevertheless instantly addictive. It is accompanied with a B side bonus, a trivial game called Night Driver in which the graphics are minimal and the action monotonous. The two-game cassette - and to describe Night Driver as a game is to use the term loosely - is produced by Abacus Programs.