Looks like an arcade game, however what you've really got is an action puzzle game. Solomon's Key requires quick thinking and good reflexes to progress; you never feel like the game is out to get you or biased.

The graphics are charming with plenty of character. The spot effects and occasional musical score is pleasant enough without offending. It's the playability that keeps you coming back to Solomon's Key. And it will.

Another Tolkien license; this time a wargame. W.I.M.E. captures the enormity of Frodo's quest and allows you to control various elements in order to get the Ring Bearer to Mount Doom.

The artificial intelligence ensures that there's always a worthy opponent to play, even on the easiest of difficulty levels. You don't directly control any of the Fellowship except when they end up in battle. At that point the game has you controlling the characters individually.

W.I.M.E. allows you to enjoy a full-blown strategy game without getting bored fighting in historical battles. Don't expect a Rebelstar type game but do expect to commit many enjoyable hours in an attempt to liberate Middle Earth.

The arcade sequel to Ghosts & Goblins, G&G has translated into an exceptionally good Speccy game. The presentation is true to its' heritage and provides the game will buckets of atmosphere. The sprites may generally be small yet they're animated well.

G&G gives you a hearty challenge. There are a limited number of levels though you're not going to walk through any of them. Nor are you going to want to. G&G will give you plenty of enjoyment as you battle through the game.

U.S. Gold - and the developers Software Creations - did Capcom proud with G&G. See you give the game respect by playing it.

Rainbow Arts pulled this frantic action game out of the bag in 1990. Bigger, better and more colourful than almost any action game released on the Speccy, Turrican became an instant hit.

Technically superb, with full parallax smooth scrolling, any number of enemies everywhere and a suitably exquisite range of power-ups - Turrican is simply a blast to play.

You can't really fault Turrican; even the inevitable multiload is bearable. Much, much better than the sequel (at least on the Speccy). Give that a wide berth and enjoy Turrican 1.

The clone that revolutionised Pong, Arkanoid is ridiculously addictive. Colourful and presentable, this bat n ball game will have you banging away at the keyboard for many a week.

It's the combination of level designs, collectable tokens and the aliens which will ping your ball all over the screen which keep you glued to the screen.

There have been many derivatives produced since Arkanoid's 1987 release yet few have equalled never mind beaten this erstwhile release.

Three-quarters through the chart now and what do we have? Another clone. This one was spawned from Operation Wolf though. Cabal gives you control of not only your gun sight but the soldier who fires your weapon as well. This gives the game another angle and one which makes Cabal the better game.

Certainly tougher than Op Wolf, Cabal is full of enhancements and little touches which add to the game. This is another game you won't complete over a weekend so plug at it and it'll be well worth the time spent.

The direct sequel to Driller, Dark Side is an atmospheric, well-structured arcade adventure. You're up against a time limit which heightens the urgency of your quest.

Dark Side gives you more Freescape-created game to enjoy; this one being a little more accessible than Driller. For that reason, Dark Side is my favourite of all the Freescape games and the one I have played the most. There's a whole world to explore in Dark Side and a damn fine game attached to it as well.

Renegade, but better. Skinheads and pitbulls. More prostitutes to fight. Weapons to pick up and use. More detailed graphics (even though all the men have the same legs). Better 128K music. Nasty bar-stewards. Mr Big.

And you can have a simulatenous two-player mode whereby the game gets tougher and you can 'accidentally' knee your on-screen companion in the nuts. and that's all there is to it. It's the best beat em up in the TRB Top 100.

Biiiiiiig graphics. That's the first thing you notice when playing Dark Sceptre. Then it's the chilling sword-on-sword battle sfx. Once you realise you need to act immediately - within the first moments of the game starting (there's no 'getting used to the game' or 'tutorial mode' here) - you begin to assemble your forces and fight to reclaim the artifact the game is named after.

It takes a little while to get used to the game but once you're there, you're hooked. It's fascinating to give orders to your troops then watch them carry them out. And then getting dismayed as an enemy mystic curses your favourite warrior.

An excellent strategy game that's designed to look like an arcade game. It's no Barbarian but it doesn't need to be.

Arcade adventures have featured quite heavily in the TRB Top100 and Terramex is my third favourite. It's not got a big-name license or built using a revolutionary gaming engine.

Terramex has the spirit of Monty Python behind it; there's surreality around the game though it's not too obscure to fathom out the puzzles. The graphics and sonics are good, yet it's the sum of all the parts which make whole of this game great.

Arcade adventures aren't made like this any more. So much for progress.