The aim of this game is what the title implies; escape from a laboratory where there has been an explosion! Avoid all the hazards and help the bug you control to find a way out. Beginning with the graphics, they are vivid and colourful although not too detailed. The sprites move fast and smoothly, while the collision detection is great. The prominent colours used in this MODE 0 game are blue and red. The sound is very good with an atmospheric tune playing continuously, something which contributes to the creation of a tense atmosphere in this game! The gameplay is simple, old-fashioned and entertaining, although perhaps there should be a time limit. The grab factor is above average; most probably you will give it multiple tries. Overall, an entertaining and enjoyable game.

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6

Lala is a student witch who lost her filters around the witch academy. Take control of her and help her acquire keys and open doors, avoid spiders, bats and other obstacles in order to recover her filters. In this fast-paced arcade adventure, the graphics are quite detailed, since they use the four-colour MODE 1. Prominent colours used are brown and green, and although this might tire out the player's eyes, it is the best choice, since it contributes to the atmosphere of being in a witchcraft academy. Sound is OK; a 'schoolish' tune plays throughout the game and there are some effects as well. The gameplay is satisfying and amusing. The game is big, Lala responds accurately to the keys, and the collision detection works fine. The grab factor is well above average. Overall, a satisfying, well designed game.

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8

Laser Squad
(Blade, 1989)

This is a turn-based strategy game where tactics are everything. You'll need to buy the right weapons and position and move your squad (led by Corporal Hansen) effectively if you're going to defeat the rebel Space Marines. In each turn, your men have a number of action points, with every possible action using some action points – so you've got to think carefully, or you may run out and be caught in the line of fire of an alien! There are five missions in total, all of them extremely challenging, and seven difficulty levels. If that still isn't enough, an expansion kit with two extra scenarios is also available. Trust me; you'll like this game a lot.

See also: Rebelstar.

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9

The Master is threatening to take over the galaxy, and you must stop him. Before you can battle against him, though, you must prove that you are a worthy opponent by fighting your way through eight waves of alien creatures, ranging from whirling dervishes to space mines, interstellar pogos, and hyper space chickens! Of course, it's just another simple clone of Space Invaders with primitive graphics and sound effects, and unexciting gameplay, and there's nothing else for me to say about it.

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4

Last Duel
(US Gold, 1989)

The beautiful Princess Sheeta has been abducted by the Golden Tribe, and you must battle through six levels in your neutron-powered car and galactic hoverplane. You start the first level in your car, and swap between the car and the hoverplane for every level. A second player can also join the action, although he or she can only use the hoverplane. First impressions of the game are good; the first level moves at a pretty fast pace and there's a lot of action. Unfortunately the pace of the second level slows down significantly, and it therefore takes a lot longer to reach the end of the level. The graphics are very nice indeed – detailed, with effective use of colour – but the sound effects are irritating and the music is poor, and the game would be better if the levels in which you fly the hoverplane were faster and shorter.

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6

Your mission is to reach the surface of the complex in one piece. Your tank's turret pod (which looks like a red pill) can detach and fly around, which comes in handy, as barriers block the tank's progress. Flying around this flip-screen world depletes your turret pod's power and your laser can overheat, so be careful. A strange tune plays on the title screen with some pleasing sound effects added to the game. Colourful and smooth graphics make this an enjoyable blast.

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7

Defeated but not destroyed, the shogun Kunitoki has managed to travel through time and space from feudal Japan to Manhattan in the 20th century. The ninja master Armakuni is sent by the gods in an attempt to destroy Kunitoki forever. Last Ninja 2 (as far as I know, the first part wasn't released on the CPC) is an awesome adventure, with very detailed isometric graphics, great character animations and lots of tricky puzzles. The graphics are black and white, the only sound you'll listen to is an awful tune and the game is quite difficult, but these are only minor drawbacks to a unique game.

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9

You only have a few minutes to enter an underground shelter before an atomic bomb is launched. So drive your V8 as fast as possible, even if the track is dangerously winding. Well, this is a really addictive game. The soundtrack is great (I think the main tune is one of the best ever heard on our favourite computer) and the action is hard enough to keep you concentrated. The time you're given is really short, though, and the road has many dead ends and getting out of it means the end of the game. The biggest flaw is the size of the playing window, which is really tiny. The controls are a bit awkward too. Anyway, it is a good game, although it's very challenging for the nerves.

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7

This game contains a selection of casino games (black jack, craps, baccarat and roulette) for you to fritter away your money – well, maybe not in reality, but you know what I mean! You start with £250, and can make bets in each of the games from £1 to £5000. I'm not going to explain the rules for each of the games here, but this game isn't entertaining at all. The controls are strange – for instance, rather than simply entering the size of your bet, you have to select it by making stacks of chips representing units, tens, hundreds and thousands. The graphics are basic and there are no sound effects or music whatsoever.

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4

This tennis game (which was actually released as Grand Prix Tennis) is both basic and mediocre. For a start, there are no options to allow you to customise the game, so you are restricted to playing a singles match on a grass court. The two players, who the game refers to as Bjorn and Lee, don't even swap ends during the match! The problems don't end there, though. It's easy to serve aces and score lots of points, but at the same time, the isometric viewpoint makes it difficult to determine where the ball is going and to position yourself accordingly. The graphics are OK, and the music on the menu is rather nice, but it's not an enjoyable game to play at all, especially if you're using the keyboard controls rather than the joystick.

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