Operation Hormuz
(Again Again, 1989)
Reviewed by John Beckett

Tension is mounting in the Middle East and several important oil bases are at risk, so the US Naval Air Force have initialized Operation Hormuz – sending you in your fighter jet to take out several enemy missile bases. It would be a tough job in real life, but it's even harder here! As soon as you start, you're bombarded from all sides by enemy fire, and must have the reflexes of Superman to get very far! Your jet has four different weapons to take out enemies on the ground, on the sea and in the air. To be honest, it's all a bit too much for my little brain to take in, especially at the speed this game plays at! The graphics are good, and the sound effects are also good (there's an excellent tune on the options screen) but it's basically just Harrier Attack with knobs on.

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5

Operation Thunderbolt
(Ocean, 1989)

More hostages have been kidnapped, but this time they're being held deep in the African jungle. Firstly, you have to travel to the enemy's ammunition depot before going to the hideout where the hostages are being kept. Next, you must get into your boat and sail to the enemy HQ, where the final confrontation awaits. The game features a novel restarting system, where the number of continues you get depends on how well you're doing, although I'm not sure this is entirely a good thing. It is a difficult game with more enemies on the screen at once, and worse, you can't see who you're firing at! The scrolling isn't very good either, and the graphics on the normal CPC version are horrible at times. A cartridge version of the game is also available.

See also: Operation Wolf.

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7

Five hostages are trapped in a concentration camp deep in the jungle, and you must rescue all of them. Your journey starts at the enemy's headquarters, before going into the jungle to the ammunition dump, and then on to the concentration camp where the hostages are then flown out. The screen scrolls horizontally and you just shoot at all the enemy soldiers, helicopters and tanks, but make sure you don't run out of ammo! The graphics are brilliant and there's lots of explosions to be heard, along with a little tune. It's all action and it's an excellent game.

See also: Operation Thunderbolt.

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9

A spaceship pilot receives a signal from the spacecraft Orion Prime, but soon realises that the crew has been decimated by an unidentified illness and he must escape a certain death, but not before understanding why this has occurred... With an intriguing storyline that captures the interest of any gamer, Orion Prime quickly puts you into a world of insecurity and questions that desperately seek an answer. The atmosphere of this game is something that can be understood only by playing it. The graphics are amazing, simply state of the art for the CPC. They use all of the available palette, and with precise shadowing, the result is magnificent. The sound is crystal clear and the game itself is huge; there are so many places to explore and the storyline keeps evolving. The grab factor is dangerously addictive. Overall, an experience not to be missed.

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10

Orphée
(Loriciels, 1985)
Reviewed by Guillaume Chalard

Falling asleep at the wheel, you die in a car crash... and you awake in hell. You must now find the way out to the world of the living. Well, it's easier said than done because it's going to be a long road! During the first hours, this French adventure game is really addictive. The graphics are good, there are a lot of places to explore and many characters to interact with (this game was only released on disc). As in many other text adventure games, you can only use a few words to progress in your quest. But the problem here is that many essential items are not mentioned when you explore a place, so you can often only rely on the graphics! To make it harder, some actions are a little far-fetched and finding the exact syntax is sometimes really hard! However, if you love long and (very) difficult adventure games, try this one!

See also: Sauvez Yurk.

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7

Race along the waterways of six cities in your speedboat, doing your best to avoid other competitors and crashing into them or the scenery. You must complete six laps of each waterway, and at each end of the course, there are buoys which you must approach slowly in order to turn around. You'll be lucky if you manage to complete two laps, however. The other competitors are very inconsiderate and regularly get in your way, and you always come off worst. While the presentation is astonishingly good (the animated sequences are a particularly nice touch), the game itself could have been so much better.

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5

Four outlaws – Butch Moonwalk, Joey the Kid, Scarface Sam, and Mister No Name – are wanted, and as the sheriff, you've got to hunt them down and capture them. Each of the four levels takes you on a stroll through a particular town, shooting the cowboys that appear in groups from the left and right of the screen, and shooting barrels which may reveal bonus items – or a bomb. It sounds like a reasonable enough game, but it's not. The graphics are terrible (another awful Spectrum port) and while the music on the title screen is OK, the sound effects are useless, and the game is too slow and difficult to be of any interest whatsoever.

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3

The new RP2-16 spacecraft is capable of approaching the speed of light. While testing it, you suddenly enter another world, full of aliens and strange landscapes. The game is a straightforward space shoot-'em-up with eight levels, and all you can do is blast aliens and collect coins that allow you to upgrade your weapon temporarily. When you've shot enough aliens, an icon appears on the screen which takes you to a bonus sub-level, which you must survive in order to go to the next level. It's not at all easy, especially since waves of aliens often appear right on top of your ship and cost you a life, and even worse, the backgrounds are so brightly coloured that by the third level, it's impossible to see what's going on! Nice graphics but not so nice gameplay.

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6

Out Run
(US Gold, 1987)

This game is well known for being one of the worst coin-op conversions to be seen; it really is terrible. You're racing in your Ferrari with some beautiful girl in the passenger seat and have to get to the next checkpoint within the time limit, while dodging the traffic, which gets heavier as you go further. At the end of each stage, the road branches in two, and with five stages, there are lots of routes to take. This variety doesn't excuse the fact that the graphics are average and the only sound to be heard is the screeching of your tyres when going round the corner. In fact, you're supposed to listen to the audio tape provided while playing the game – what cheek! It's really slow as well.

See also: Out Run Europa, Turbo Outrun.

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3

Terrorists have stolen some top secret documents which you need to deliver to Berlin. The chase starts in England and takes in France, Spain and Italy as well. Why do the terrorists not take a much shorter route? Anyway, the game consists of seven very long levels, and as with the other two games in the series, you must reach the end of each level within the time limit. The graphics are excellent, and the game is particularly noteworthy for the remarkable amount of scenery which lines the roads – yet despite this, it's still very fast indeed. Unfortunately it's not much fun to play. Extra ammunition and turbos appear on the road occasionally, but it's difficult to collect them. Also, if the police catch you, or you run out of time, you must go all the way back to the start of the level, which really spoils the gameplay.

See also: Out Run, Turbo Outrun.

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6