Dracula is being hunted by Von Helsing, and on each of the ten levels, you, as Dracula, have to collect five keys and three parchments. You also have the ability to metamorphose into a werewolf, which allows you to jump over traps in the floor and on platforms, and a vampire bat, which allows you to fly over water and reach other areas of the level quickly. You will need to replenish your blood supply often by grabbing people and biting their necks, and on later levels, watch out for certain people who can kill you instantly with their weapons! This is a great platform game with some of the most beautiful and detailed graphics on the CPC, although some of the traps on platforms can be hard to spot, which can be annoying. Even so, it's still a really enjoyable game.

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I don't know enough history to tell if these facts did really happen, but this is what the game's inlay says. Around 1941, Hitler's battleship Bismarck ruled the Atlantic Ocean. Nevertheless, the allies created a torpedo bomber called Grumman Avenger. It carried a crew of three consisting of a pilot, an engineer and a tailgunner. Although the control panels are very detailed and realistic, the graphics are quite simple (you are supposed to be flying over the sea at night), and so is the sound. Due to things like these, I've never been too keen on flight simulators. Nevertheless, I must admit this one is quite good, as you take the place of all the crew members, and you can also choose among a lot of training and combat missions that will prepare you to confront the Bismarck and its escort.

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7

Nightshade
(Ultimate, 1985)
Reviewed by Pug

The once peaceful town of Nightshade is now a place to avoid. A terrible curse was placed upon it that turned all the residents into monsters. You are the hero that will lift this horrid curse and bring peace back to this blighted town. The game itself is an isometric scrolling maze of buildings that hide valuable objects needed to complete the game. The exteriors of all the buildings look inviting and are well drawn, unlike the interiors, which are bare. Sadly, it's not Ultimate's finest hour. The scrolling is painfully slow and the endless supply of monsters becomes annoying, especially when your ammunition runs out. Nightshade is worth a few goes but you won't enjoy it in the long run.

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4

The great machine that controls toy production needs constant maintenance, and this is where you come in. With quota in hand, you need to power up the great machine and look after its workings. In this platform game, you leap around collecting various objects that fix or tinker with the machine, while avoiding furry pests etc. Graphic- and sound-wise, it's well presented and is a fun game to play.

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7

A conversion of Capcom's ground-breaking shoot-'em-up, 1942 on the CPC is actually quite a faithful conversion of the arcade original. Unfortunately, the arcade original hasn't aged at all well and neither has this. There is a pleasant tune on the title screen and the graphics, though simple, are nice and colourful. Unfortunately, the game suffers from serious repetition issues. There are a huge 32 levels (quite a difference from the sequel's measly four!), but they all look the same – huge expanses of blue ocean, the occasional island dotted about, and the same few types of aeroplane attacking you again and again. The game starts off enjoyably enough and has a nice difficulty curve, getting very challenging in later levels. Unfortunately, boredom will ensure you won't get that far.

See also: 1943.

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5

This game is based on the Battle of Midway, which as all World War II historians will know, happened in 1942... but it would be a bit silly to release a sequel to 1942 which was called 1942, wouldn't it? Ah, well! This game sees you (and a friend if you want) in your P38 Lightning aircraft, taking on the might of the Japanese air force and navy on your own. The graphics and sound effects are better this time but I don't like the music very much. The biggest let-down, though, is that there are only four levels; after that, they just start repeating.

See also: 1942.

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7

Princess Di-Di has been captured and held in the Palace of Pearls, and you're a ninja who is out to rescue her – but you will be confronted with an array of thugs, karate fighters and evil ninjas, and you have to collect idols as well. In each room you will encounter some enemies, and as you progress to higher floors of the building, you have to deal with more enemies in each room. Unfortunately, you only have one life and not a lot of energy to kill all the enemies. Collecting an idol restores your energy, but their position varies each time you play, and there's never one around when you really need it! The graphics are rather poor and there are few sound effects. It lacks variety as well and quickly becomes dull.

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5

Take control of a ninja commando as you battle your way through eight horizontally scrolling levels, killing other ninjas with flying kicks, and leaping across platforms and chasms. While most enemy ninjas are unarmed like you, some of them have guns and other weapons. However, the game is too difficult. Killing enemy ninjas requires a ridiculous amount of precision; get your kicks even slightly wrong and you lose one of your five lives and are sent some way back along the level to start again. The graphics are not that bad, but it's a dull, run-of-the-mill beat-'em-up that everyone has seen before.

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4

Ninja Hamster has returned to the village where he was born after many years away, but a gang of nasty creatures has overrun it, so he must take them on. The creatures have silly names like Sinister Rat, the Lizard of Death, Barmy Bee and Loony Lobster – great! Unfortunately, underneath all of this wackiness is a bland, repetitive single-screen beat-'em-up. On each level, you must battle against one of these mutant creatures, and you must knock him out six times before you can take on another opponent. The graphics are awful, and even hardened beat-'em-up fans will find this game quite disappointing – although the Oriental-themed music on the menu is worth listening to.

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4

Amstrad Action's Adam Waring was responsible for this rather average maze game. You're a ninja and in each level, you have to find the exit, but you'll have to find keys and eat fruit to restore your energy that is constantly taken away from you by the armies of monsters attacking you. The graphics are reasonable and the music is quite good, and while the game is startlingly unoriginal (it's a blatant Gauntlet clone), it's OK if you want a quick game of something. There are also passwords for every five levels to help you.

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