As the name might suggest, this game is based on the all-time classic Asteroids, although it's an improved version which sees you roaming across the galaxy, clearing sectors of asteroids, and eventually defeating Mukor, the guardian of the asteroids. You should all know how to play Asteroids – shoot an asteroid and it splits in two; shoot those asteroids and they split into two, and so on. However, you can transform your ship into one of three types, which affects your speed and manoeuvrability, but allows you to blast enemy spacecraft more easily. It's a rather average game and it can become slow when there are lots of objects on the screen, and the graphics leave a lot to be desired.

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Battle your way through five levels of non-stop shoot-'em-up action in your armoured tank. Each level is filled to the brim with soldiers, guns and tanks out to get you – and watch out for the flashing mines as well. Most of the soldiers carry guns which don't harm you much, but the soldiers firing mortars cause much more damage to your tank. Power-ups can also be collected which increase your firepower, speed or energy. This is one of the few Hi-Tec games that isn't based on a cartoon character, although the usual colourful graphics are present. The action is hectic at all times, and while it's certainly not original, it's an entertaining game to play.

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Several magazines completely disliked this collection of six Pong-style bat-and-ball games (which, incidentally, was released as Video Classics), but I didn't think it was that bad. The six games are tennis, football, squash, solo squash, 4-bat blip, and Asterbliperoids, and they're all pretty much the same, with some minor differences. Since the game is supposed to be minimalistic, don't expect much from the graphics and sound effects. It's all right for a while, but there isn't a lot in here to keep you coming back.

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"I'll have a P please, Bob." The popular TV quiz show comes to your CPC – well, sort of. Good old Bob Holness is missing, and there's no Gold Run either, just a series of boards for two players to challenge each other with (you can't play against the computer). Alternate sets of questions can be loaded in and the difficulty of the game can be adjusted. However, it feels incomplete and for that reason, I doubt its long term appeal.

See also: Blockbusters (TV Games), Gold Run.

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"I'll have an S please, Bob." The classic quiz show presented by the legendary Bob Holness is reproduced on your CPC for a second time. One or two players select letters from the board, trying to form a line of their own colour across the board either horizontally or vertically by answering questions correctly. The answers to the questions start with the letter that is chosen. The one-player option is a bit odd in that when it's the computer's turn, it chooses a letter for you and you have to answer the question; if you get it wrong, the computer automatically wins that letter. The questions also appear on the screen very slowly. Despite these problems, it's not that bad, even in the one-player game. (The answer to the question in the screenshot is "Nepal", by the way.)

See also: Blockbusters (Macsen).

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Hark and Kren are the Blood Brothers, and on returning home from an expedition, they find that the Scorpions have destroyed their village and its inhabitants, and now they want revenge. The brothers have to find their way around the Scorpions' mines, shooting aliens and collecting gems. There is another aspect of the game, though; when you want to fly from one mine to another, you enter a 3D section where you must manoeuvre your spaceship through walls and shoot blocks. Unfortunately, both parts are very difficult indeed; the spaceship's controls are very sensitive, and the two brothers don't have very much energy to enable them to survive for long. It's also a game that is best played with a friend, as controlling both players simultaneously is awkward.

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Based on the Duelmaster series of adventure gamebooks, this one- or two-player game takes place in the Valley of Gad, where each year, an event called The Hunt is held. The Valley's ruler, Archveult, along with his allies, hunt down a freed slave in a pursuit lasting five days. In the one-player option, you play the slave, and your aim is to find the exit. In the two-player option, the second player takes control of the Archveult and his henchmen. This is a poor game that is badly implemented. There is no explanation as to what the various objects you can pick up actually are, and worst of all, you can barely move a few steps without being forced to fight yet another monster, which makes the game very tedious indeed.

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Bloodwych
(Image Works, 1990)
Reviewed by Javier Sáez

Someone has to find the Crystals of Sanguis to destroy the demon that dwells in the castle of Bloodwych. Any volunteers? In this role-playing game, your first task is to recruit four heroes among wizards, warriors, thieves and adventurers. Each of them has different abilities, attributes, equipment and knowledge of magic. You move your party through three-dimensional dungeons where fighting is not always the best choice, as it is possible to trade and offer things to characters controlled by the computer. It's precisely when fighting comes that the game isn't that good, as combat is a bit confusing and it's difficult to know what's really happening. On the other hand, this game has a two-player mode with a split-screen view, which is a rare feature in role-playing games.

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In this board game, the aim is to be the person with the highest score at the end of each round. Each player takes it in turn to choose a number from the grid and when a tile is removed, part of the background picture is revealed. The round finishes when there are no more numbers that can be taken and the person with the highest score wins. After a beautifully drawn loading screen, atmospheric music plays on the menu. Starting the game, the tune changes again with another ambient tune. The gameplay is amusing, pleasant and fast-paced, since there is strong competition from either the computer or a human player. The grab factor is very high; it is a game that one would play repeatedly. Taken as a whole, this is a really great job with awesome graphics and sound, partnered with nice gameplay.

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Blueberry
(Coktel Vision, 1987)

Blueberry is a comic strip which is very well known in France, and dozens of books have been released. This game follows the ageing Blueberry (also known as Mike), and his companion Jimmy MacClure, as they travel across the deserts of Arizona in pursuit of a gold mine. However, they know that the area surrounding the mine is cursed, and a spectre guards the mine. Many pitfalls await them, not least the native Indians and other ambushers... The game plays like a comic strip, while allowing you to make your own choices as to what you want to do next. There is also some arcade action where you must shoot enemies while avoiding being shot yourself – it's nice at first, but quickly becomes a real chore. The graphics are excellent, as one would expect from Coktel Vision, but the arcade sequences let the game down slightly.

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