Amstrad CPC 6128

This was only what I could consider to be a futuristic bit of kit at the time. I'd seen computers at school and they were RM 480Z Link or RM Nimbus PCs, so basically CP/M and DOS based machines that had no entertainment capabilities from what I could tell at the time

The Amstrad, well, that seemed like the best All-In-One computer, it had the disk drive, it had capabilities for running CP/M software but it also had decent graphics and sound capabilities making gaming a possibility. It was awesome, and seeing the Amstrad CPC back then was the start of my computer obsession, and I was only about 5 years old (ish) at the time, so this was quite the big deal for me.

Me and my brother played quite a lot of games on this, some co-operative, so against each other, or sometimes I just watched him play.

The Pack-In software

Our Amstrad CPC came with the "Top 10 Computer Hits Exclusive to Dixons" pack (we must've got the machine from Dixons) and it's here where I played what I could only think back on now as some of the best CPC games ever, this compilation had so many good titles on those disks, but, there' was a couple of dodgy ones. So let's see below what was on the disks:

• Batman

• Game Over Part 1

• Game Over Part 2

• Arkanoid

• Tank

• Legend of Kage

• Phantom Club

• Freddy Hardest Part 1

• Freddy Hardest Part 2

• Head Over Heels

• Slapfight

• Madballs

Looking back on these games, a lot of them are a bit of a mixed bag nowadays, but, I still have a huge soft spot for these titles, and we'll take a look at them below

Arkanoid

The classic bat & ball game got a huge update in the 80s, a popular hit in the arcades (apparently, but I didn't know of that at the time) and had such addictive, if difficult, gameplay

Right from the music on the intro screen, the starfield effect during the cut-scene before the game starts, to the great looking graphics and sound of this game, you know it was a good one

At the time, I thought this game was superb, and I still sort of do, but nowadays I realise it's not the best version overall - definitely the best looking version amongst the 8-bit systems though (in my opinion)

However, playing this now, it does suffer from some slow down when the screen gets busy with many enemies, but, that doesn't detract from the gameplay too much

Batman - the 3D Isometric version by Jon Ritman

I think this was the first game I actually played myself on the compilation

I really enjoyed how much control this game gives you, the puzzle element and the fact that it's not a game that requires super sharp reactions from the start

The visual style is brilliant, it makes great use of the MODE 1 graphics (4-colour mode) of the Amstrad CPC, with a really nice detailed look about it. I've played this on many systems in the modern age and this is hands down the best looking version, bar none

The game itself is quite hard, some site this as the easier game than Head Over Heels which came later (and was based off the same game engine), but I think HOH is easier

This game is well thought out and always has that "one more go" factor, the difficulty curve ramps up quickly, but it's not rock hard right out of the gate

Head Over Heels

This is the ultimate Isometric adventure game, superb on any platform, and my all time favourite 8-bit game

This game takes the same formula from the above Batman game, but mixes it up by having two characters, and you have to break them up and put them together several times throughout the game to solve the puzzles and get through the game

There's lots of powerups littered throughout the game and you need to use these wisely to complete it

I think this is easier than Batman, but not everyone agrees. This game is definitely more refined than Batman and it shows, but it's also a game that just grabs you

I know this was my favourite, as one day, I was telling my primary school teacher about how good this game is - think I was a little obsessed with it

Tank

Now this is a bit of a weird one. It's an SNK game (didn't know this at the time) and was released on Amstrad, Spectrum and Commodore 64 - and it looks lovely here.

You take control of a tank, and you shoot and bomb your way through the levels, taking out enemies and scrolling through the level

It's a bit slow and suffers some frame rate drops here and there, not as smooth as the Spectrum or C64 versions, but it looks so nice and makes good use of the chunky MODE 0 graphics of the CPC

Going back to this now, it's a nice nostalgic memory, but not the best game ever - it's a bit of an empty experience now, but I still love it

Dizzy - The Ultimate Cartoon Adventure

Now, if you owned an 8bit computer in the UK during the 80s, be it an Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum or Commodore 64, then you know exactly what Dizzy is.

A product of the genius Oliver Twins, here we have the first adventure in the series of what I can say are probably the best adventure games to have graced our screens.

From the ear worm of a music track that plays as you play, to the animation style, the graphics and the addictive "one more go" gameplay, this is definitely up there for me

Now, many don't like this first game in the series, but it's probably my favourite, mostly because of the nostalgia, but I do understand that the later games introduced concepts that really did make the game more "complete"

Anyway, this is probably one of the best on the compilation, but, let's see what else there is

Vampire (aka Phantomas 2 in some regions)

Here we have Vampire, a nice looking game, yet again, making nice use of the MODE 1 graphics, but it's definitely the weakest link of this compilation, so let's see why that is and what I like and dislike

Likes

• Very nice looking with a nice "theme" to the game

• It's a platformer, I like them

Dislikes

• it's rock hard, especially as you have 1 life (to start, you can early more)

• Weird jump mechanic with the long jump vs short jump thing

• What is the goal here? 

Not a terrible game, but it's not on my must play list

Ghost Hunters

Now this is a nice game to play co-op with a friend (or in my case, my brother, back in the day)

You have to navigate the haunted mansion, pick up the potions, unlock areas and kill off the nasties that get in your way ........... sounds easy? It's anything but easy

In two-player mode, one player controls the character, whilst the other controls the gun, allow you to more quickly dispatch of the enemies that get in your way, however, in one-player mode, you have to hold down the fire button and move the gun that way, which makes it difficult in one player mode.

Yet again, nice MODE 1 graphics here and very atmospheric with the look and feel, and to add to it, it's got sampled speech which is so awesome for an Amstrad CPC.

This is a must play, even now.

Super Robin Hood

I'm sure I read somewhere that this is The Oliver Twins' first game they ever did, and if so, what an introduction to the world of computer games.

This take the game engine from Ghost Hunters and ramps it up to 11

Only a one player affair, and no controlling a gun, instead it a bit more classic platform action. You navigate the castle, taking out bad guys, collecting keys and collecting the hearts.

There's sampled speech throughout and a nice lovely (but repetitive) tune that will be stuck in your head after only a few minutes of play.

Now, this is a difficult game, and requires a lot of time, effort and patience to complete, but it's definitely worth playing now. If you were only going to play one game off this compilation, it should be this one. I think this must be my favourite of them all.