1942

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

1942... you and daring fighter pilot "Super Ace" are engaged in realistic, thrilling and challenging high-flying battles with the enemy. Over land, on the sea and in the air, your own skill and dexterity... combined with Super Ace's flying mastery, duel enemy pilots in fighter and bomber craft. 1942... it's airplanes taking off and landing on ocean-going aircraft carriers... disrupting enemy formations ready to attack... intercepting enemy air-warriors you must defeat by "blasting 'em out of the sky." Will it be victory? Or defeat? It's in your skillful hands!

After Burner

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1988

After Burner allows the player to control an F-14 Tomcat jet airplane. At the start of the game, the player takes off from an aircraft carrier called the SEGA Enterprise on a mission to destroy enemy jets . Despite the name (and presumably to avoid confusion for people looking for non-existent prequels) this port is actually based on the After Burner II arcade game.

Commando

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

The player takes control of a soldier named Super Joe, who starts by being dropped off in a jungle by a helicopter, and has to fight his way out singlehandedly, fending off a massive assault of enemy soldiers. Super Joe is armed with a sub-machine gun (which has unlimited ammunition) as well as a limited supply of hand grenades. While Joe can fire his gun in any of the eight directions that he faces, his grenades can only be thrown vertically towards the top of the screen, irrespective of the direction Joe is facing. Unlike his SMG bullets, grenades can be thrown to clear obstacles, and explosions from well placed grenades can kill several enemies at once. At the end of each level, the screen stops, and the player must fight several soldiers streaming from a gate or fortress. They are ordered out by a cowardly officer, who immediately runs away, although shooting him in the back awards the player bonus points. Along the way, one can attempt to free prisoners of war as they are transported across the screen by the enemy. In the NES version, there is a more powerful machine gun upgrade, as well as "glasses" to let the player view all the hidden bunkers and an unlimited grenade upgrade (the player will lose these upgrades after losing a life).

Defcom 1

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1989

It’s 1992, and there has been no conflict between the world’s superpowers for many years – but there is now a serious threat to Earth, a threat so serious that the World Security Council has been put on DEFCOM 1 (er, surely it should be DEFCON 1?). Those aliens are up to no good again, and they’ve been detected in the Vesta-7 sector of Ceres. This is a shoot-’em-up in three parts, and you control a different vehicle in each part. You have to fly to the space shuttle launch site in a helicopter, then fly the shuttle through an asteroid belt, and then take on the aliens in a space fighter. In the first and third parts, you also have three smart bombs.

Frank Bruno's Boxing

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1985

Former boxing World Champion Frank Bruno, famed for his catchphrase "you know what I mean, Harry?" and more recently his heroic battle with depression, put his name to this boxing game which replicates Super Punch-Out!!. As Frank, you must take on 8 progressively tough boxers to win the title. The action is viewed from right behind Frank in 3D, meaning that you can see and feel the full impact of punches. A full range of moves is provided, with the standard jabs complimented by body punches and the ability to dodge, duck or raise your guard. Each punch weakens your opponent's strength, although going long enough without being hit can see this begin to recover. A rain of blows can produce a quick knockout, but in general you must hit him many times, and then with a knockout blow, to see him go down.

Ikari Warriors (Elite Systems)

Commodore 64 - Released - 1988

Behind enemy lines, guerrilla warfare are your tactics as you battle your way through the jungles, rivers, ruins, and opposing entrenchments in this arcade hit. Picking up an array of weaponry - machine guns, grenades, rocket launchers, and even a tank! - you must battle your way to survival and conquest. Not to be confused with the Data East Version of the same name that came out the prior year.

Kokotoni Wilf

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1989

Kokotoni Wilf has been sent on a bold journey through time, to recover the seven pieces of the Dragon Amulet. There are 63 screens across 6 times zones to trek through in order to find these star-like objects. These screens are viewed from the side, and resemble Jet Set Willy, except that Wilf can fly through them and hover at a precision point. With hazards ranging from dinosaurs to spears to spaceships, and pieces located in hard-to-reach places, you will need this extra skill, especially as you have no weaponry. Most screens have more than 2 exits, but some are dead ends or lead directly into hazardous points. On each world you can immediately access the first 3 screens. Although coded and earmarked for release in 1986 (even being reviewed in some Amstrad magazines of the time - less than favourable reviews meant the game was quietly shelved, before being released on the Encore label - Elite's budget "re-release" division - in 1989.

Skateboard Kidz

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1988

Vertically scrolling action game with monochromatic graphics. Control your skating kid along zig-zagging paths, avoiding obstacles, jumping ramps, etc. Jump over the letters S, K, A, T and E to collect sections of bronze, silver and gold skateboards. Collect litter for extra points. Eventually you come head to head with another skater, whom you must race to the finish.

Tank Busters

Amstrad CPC - Released - 1985

Tank Busters is a variant of the arcade game Battlezone. Like the original game it is a first person game with wireframe graphics where the player controls a tank that has to shoot down other tanks without getting hit by their fire. The game takes places on a plain with mountains in the distance and various geometric solids (such as pyramids and cubes) acting as obstacles. Movement is limited to moving forward and reverse and rotating left and right. The game goes on until the player has lost all lives. A radar helps the player finding the location of the enemies. Some additional features exist in later versions of the game. The Dragon/CoCo version has some additional enemies such as saucers and anti-tank missiles. The Amstrad version (retitled Tank Busters) makes further changes and uses the graphics engine from Dark Star. The player here has two weapons, a regular cannon and anti tank missiles as well as a shield that can absorb some hits before the tank is destroyed. There is however only one life. The anti tank missiles can be steered manually by the player and it is possible to turn on a missile eye's perspective.

Virus

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Released - 1988

Aliens have infested Earth, and are spreading a deadly virus throughout the planet. Needless to say, they must be stopped, and fast. The time pressure (your score upon completing a level is based on the uninfected percentage of the land) is only one difficult aspect of this shooter. Viewed in remote 3D with a patchwork-quilt type ground effect, with trees sticking out and full gravity. Controlling your spaceship involves balancing the direction and height as well as thrusting to the right speed. A scanner tells you where the aliens are.