A pretty poor attempt at a reconstruction of the original 'Adventure' which is now probably world famous. It isn't particularly faithful to the mainframe version, and it does play very well, you'd be much better off with the Level 9 Middle Earth trilogy.

A fairly bad attempt at a Space Invaders game, it looks ok, but the animation is terrible, the aliens just move in blocks rather than smoothly across the screen, and it makes it look awful. Seeing as most people probably judged a company by its Space Invaders clone, this wasn't a good sign, although they obviously went on to better things!

Re-release of the Amcom game.

The MicroPower version of Asteroids, I think this is quite a good version, although Acornsoft Meteors rules in my opinion. The only bad thing about this version is that the rocks are strangely all circular! Almost everything else is good in this version, but Meteors just shaves it in this case.

Simple and very early 1982 game where you have to navigate through caves dodging enemies in order to get to the other side of the screen. It isn't very taxing and shows that it was probably designed for the BBC Model A, its very simplistic indeed.

This is a bit of a rip off of Dogfight, and in my opinion it isn't as good as the aformentioned game. You are in control of a bi-plane and have to shoot down the bi-plane of your friend (it is 2 player only), whoever wins the most battles wins the game. The graphics are nice and the game is very playable, but the sprites aren't as nice and big as they are in Dogfight. It is interesting, because the box says "Bandits at 3 o'clock", but in the game, it says "Welcome to Dogfight" - last minute change?

The game that lanuched a thousand clones, Q-Bert, and this is one of them. I wouldn't have thought that it was a particularly hard game to clone, and this does nothing to show any originality. It is quite good for a while, but there are just so many other clones exactly the same.

A nice adjustment to the standard Pac Man style game, this one has you as a Bee, running around a maze to collect all the pills. The added thing is that you can change the direction of the walls, to block off the emeies which chase you around. This is a great idea, and makes it stand out from all those other clones.

The BEST game that Micro Power ever created, this one is a true classic. It is basically a huge graphical adventure, with puzzles galore. You should definitly play this, it is huge, and could take ages to complete. One moan that a lot of people have is that it is played over a very small playing arena, and the scenary doesn't change very much.

It has better graphics than the Acornsoft one, but the game it plays is nowhere near as hard (so I'm told by an expert) so if you have to play chess on your beeb, get the other one!

A not too bad variant of Meteors, but in this one it is just a two player game, and you can choose which screen you want, each screen has varying obstacles on it, such as maze structures and blocks that kill on contact. The graphics are good, but not amazing, and it is a good two player game.

A fairly simple game, which can be played with one or two players, one each side of the screen, and in between are some waggons which roll up and down the screen. The object is to shoot your opponent four times, whoever does this first is the winner. It is quite playable with two players, and the graphics are neat, if you have a friend, then play it!

Micro Powers contribution to the overflow of Frogger games that must have built up over the years. This version is nothing special, and suffers from some dodgy collision detection. It is nicely created, with relatively good graphics, but the gameplay is definitly not up to scratch, considering Micro Powers other efforts.

A neat little game, this one has you looking through the underworld, to collect a few special items with which you can hopefully escape the underworld with. It is probably one of their best every games, the way that the graphics work so well and are so interesting to look at, almost every room is different. I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

A nice original game in which you have to collect sticks of dynamite before the timer runs out on them, the game is set on a grid, and you cannot move over each square more than once, so you have to plan your movements to avoid getting stuck! Primitive graphics don't detract from what is otherwise a very solid game.

Another very early Micro Power game, this is a Crazy Painter style game in which you have to paint around the edges of all the squares whilst avoiding the baddies. It is a bit bland and the graphics are hardly striking, but for a really early game this isn't too bad! Crazy Painter wipes the floor with it though!

A nice graphical adventure game, you have to search through the maze, and find your way out. There are loads of puzzles to solve, and apart from the off-colour flashing bar at the top of the screen, the graphics are good. It is a bit annoying the way that the cave is very jagged, and it does make it a bit annoying to get around.

Entertaining two-player dogfighting game, for two players. It's like the game of the same name by Opus but slightly extended, you have to take off to start, and the graphics are much smaller, so there is more space to dogfight in. This is a blast for two players, either version is worth a go on!

Dr Who Instructions (needed for certain puzzles in the game)

This was it, the game that would blow away all the competition, the most advanced game on the BBC. Cleverly using its own dedicated ROM to add a new dimension to the gameplay, this arcade adventure was sure to be a winner...or not. You see, Micropower spent so much money developing this title that they had to sell a lot of copies for it to earn them any money at all. Suffice to say, it wasn't sufficiently good enough to sell brilliantly. Sure, its an ok game, the graphics are quite advanced thanks to the ROM, but it doesn't really hit it off in the gameplay area, you play the doctor and you must get back a special device which could have dire consequences for the entire cosmos, cliched yes, but who cares, its Doctor Who! Definitely worth a play, but don't expect miracles.

A variation of the BMX On the Moon, Spaceman Sid game, you drive your moon buggy along the moon surface, whilst trying to jump over the obstacles and craters, and shooting the aliens which fly along above you. It is ok, but nothing special, the other two games do it much better than this one.

A great little adventure game, it is played all in Mode 7, with little teletext style pictures throughout. The game is really good, the text descriptions are detailed, well, more detailed than some text adventures on the BBC Micro. It has a good storyline as well, with you trying to capture the gold, in a Wild West setting.

Good version of the classic Space Invaders, presumably produced especially for the Electron market (hence the name). It's actually one of the best versions on the Beeb as a whole, the graphics are nice and sharp and it plays well too, a definitely worth a look for your blasting fun.

One of their earlier games, this is a sort of 3D graphical adventure, you must find the Doctor and give him ten bags of gold to pay for your transport off of the moonbase. It is sort of a montage of Doctor Who, with Godzilla and a host of other things including Marvin The Paranoid Android (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) the game is ok, but veyr annoying as the enemies move to fast, but it isn't too bad. The graphics suffer from a lot of flicker, but are pretty good for an early game.

This one is completely different, instead you are placed in a PacMan like maze and have to collect fruit, this is extremely annoying as the monsters move to fast, and the power pills seem to do nothing! The graphics are weak to say the least, and the whole thing is just bad! Ho hum, sequels are never as good as the originals....

A strange game, in which you, staring as Felix, have to oil the factory machine, to do this you have to avoid the monsters which roam around the platforms, and grab the oil can, then take it back to the machine. It is not exactly the best of games, but does at least go some way to being original. The graphics are ok if a bit basic, but it is fun for a while.

For the second sequel, they came up with another good idea, and this time it is put into practice extremely well, yuo are on the run from the Evil Weevils who have invaded the factory, and want to kill you! You have to get rid of them, which is hard to say the least, but it is quite enjoyable. This has nicer graphics than the others, and the gameplay works!

Terrible football game, only two players on the pitch, the graphics are awful. This must have been one of their very very early attepmts, really it's no better than a type-in game!

The old cut up the screen with your laser cutter game. This was also done by Superior as Qix, only available on the Superior Collection II, and they, I have to say, did it much better. In this game the objective is to kill the monster, by capturing him in the box which you draw, and not to capture a certain percentage of the screen. I like this game, but it is still not as good as Qix.

Good version of Lunar Lander, this looks good, high res graphics, and the difficulty balance is just right, there are also a number of different levels to this which keep it fresh. I like this style of game because it takes good judgement, and a steady hand to manouver properly!

Micro Powers version of Defender, it is quite a good one, but not as good as Planetoid or Guardian by Alligata. For some reason it just doesn't have the magic that the other two do, the graphics are fine, but there are just a few little differences in the gameplay which make it not as good.

This is a great little platform game, you have to get to the top of the screen within a fixed time limit, and you really have to race over the obstacles. It is nicely done in a low resolution mode, and the sound is very good. You also have to dodge the ghouls which inhabit the level.......spooky!

A strategy based game, a bit like Checkers crossed with Othello. I'm not exactly sure how to play this game, so if you tell me I would be grateful!

A cool racer where you have to race round the streets of a city (top down) in your car, collecting various items. You have to refuel from time to time, and also dodge the emergency vehicles. It is a great fun to play game, and can be very exciting when you nearly run out of fuel, the graphics are nothing special to look at, and it is amazing the car can go right around those 90 degree bends!!!

This is a brilliantly devised game, you are in control of a character who can shape shift between three different things, a wizard, a cat and a monkey. You have to get around the puzzles by shifting between shapes in the correct places, for example cats are good at jumping at monkeys are good at climbing. It has great graphics, nicely designed in a high res mode, with lots of animation. The sound is minimal but not really needed.

A game in which you have to make as much money as possible from doing things like mining asteroids. It is a text only game, and there is no way of interacting with the things you do, it is more of a strategical game than anything else. It is all presented on one Mode 7 screen, and from there you choose your options. It is not very entertaining, in fact it is quite boring, imagine Elite without the graphics, and just the trading, and this is the game you get.

In this game, which I think is a pretty original idea, you have to collect the fuel pods for Jacks flying saucer, to do this you must negotiate the aliens, using your jet pack, and then get the fuel pod and put it into your ship. This is not as easy as it seems, as the jet pack is very difficult to control! The game is fun, and makes a change from so many others, it could be called a platform game, but I wouldn't say so. The graphics are a bit rough, but are ok, and the sound is weak.

The classic game which sporned the birth of Mario. Well not on this version, but the Nintendo one called Donkey Kong. This is basically a (good) conversion of the game, except the main character is not Mario, but a weak looking boy (probably for copyright reasons) It is a basic climb the platforms and dodge the obstacles affair, but good all the same.

Micropower's second attempt at a decent text adventure, this is better than Adventure, but still not up there with the best of the text adventures though. Basically there are too many mazes and the text is very spartan and uninvolving. Not too bad if you're a real fan of the genre though.

A poor version of Missile Command, I hate this one because of the way that you only have one laser station, and it is inadequete for the speed of the missiles coming down, it is very annoying. The graphics are minimalistic at best, and the whole thing just doesn't look like a Micro Power product.

This is a bit boring, you have to protect the martian colony from attack, using the lasers situated far from the city. You have to balance between shooting the ships and shielding the city from attack - you can't do both at once. It is ok, but very repetitive, and extremely hard - perhaps too hard.

This is a great game, the idea is that you have sent some probes down to an alien planet in order to search out the secret supplies of dilitherium crystals which are needed by the Federation, you have to guide the probes around the maze, filled with aliens, and then find the fuel sources. It is great fun, and high speed adventure, at least this is an original game! The bit I like is the spiffy Mode 7 graphics display at the intro - brilliant.

Ten games; Killer Gorilla, Where?, Stock Car, Martian Attack, Eldorado Gold, Plutonium Plunder, Barrge, Dune Rider, Labyrinths of LaCoshe, Nemesis

Cybertron Mission, Helldriver, Frenzy, Chess, Felix / Factory, Mr Ee!, World Geography, Junior Maths Pack, Positron, Bandits at 3 O'Clock

I think this was a pre-cursor to Mr Ee, well I hope it was because it really stinks! It is an underground game, you have to collect all the money bags to win the level, dodging the baddies. It has really bad graphics, and it is very hard to control, I don't know what went wrong with Micro Power when they wrote this!

A bit of a copy of Acornsoft's Rocket Raid, or was Rocket Raid a copy of this? I don't know, tell me! Basically it is a sideways scrolling, laser dodging game, the object being to bomb as many of your opponents bases and missiles as possible.

The classic digger game. You have to run around the playing field, digging through the soil, to collect the apples. You are chased by monster who either follow your trail through the soil, or eat away new paths. Has a great section where you can eat all of the monsters. Has some of my favourite music in it!

This is a really good version of the classic Centipede game, the graphics are nice and smart, the mushrooms are replaced by strange 'things' which shrink when you shoot them, and it is very fun to play. Probably the best Centipede clone on the Beeb!

A lame version of Percy Penguin, I really hate this version, the creatures move far to fast for you to even move out of the way at the beginning, and consequently before you even know whats happening you're dead! The graphcis are nicely done, but that doesn't make the game play any better!

A typical space invaders game, with the only variation being that the aliens change shape each level. How could companies get away with games like this in the 80's?

Early 1982 game from Micro Power (or then Program Power) which is a fairly entertaining version of the popular gambling game. The graphics are good if spartan, and there isn't really much to this, apart from getting as much money as possible, so its best played with a few friends.

This game is really good fun, you have to push rocks onto the Krackits, in order to kill them, and thus complete the level, you can push blocks with bonus points in, or crush them against other rocks. It is quite hard, as if you miss a krakit when you push a block, it comes right back at you! The graphics are nice, and very colourful, and all in all it is a good, but not brilliant game.

Small text adventure in which you have to find treasure. Not very detailed and obviously one of their first games (it was made in 1982). Its ok, but nothing amazing.

A version of Cosmic Kidnap by Superior it is a close call as to what is better, there is not clear winner! Anyway, it is a game where you have to shoot the aliens who are trying to free the Argon Kings from the space jail, your task, as jailer is to shoot them all before they rescue the kings. You get 9 kings per game, and if all are lost you die! Anyway, the graphics are good, move smoothly and it is a very addictive game - play it!

Terrible maze game, the graphics are awful, they don't move properly, take a long time to calculate, its just not very good at all. It's a shame because this game could be quite a bit better than the average maze if it weren't for the faults, what with doors and everything.

A strategy game for 2 to 8 players. This is a text only game, and is quite good, but it is very complicated, so you need to know the instructions before playing. The archive version doesn't have any instructions with it, so unless you can get some instructions, there is not much point in playing this.

Early game by one R.M Hanson of Superior Software fame, from before he started the company. This is a bog standard map based Star Trek game, it's very early on in the beebs life, and consequently very simplistic, Micropower even released another version (Time Trek) later on.

I love this little racing game, it pits you against 3 other stock cars, and the action is from overhead, you race around the tiny circuit, with oil slicks, tight corners and more. It is one of the best racers on the BBC, so play it. It is especially good with two players. I think there were two versions, what were the differences?

This is a two player game in which you have to make 250,000 pounds by stealing as much as you can. You have to find all the diamonds and take them back to your house. The robots that chase each player can be made to chase the opposite player by shooting them with your gun. It is fast and furious action for two players, and is great fun if you have a mate to play with, to relive those good old days!

A great clone of Acornsofts Arcadians, which in turn are clones of the great Galaxians! It is just repetitive like space invaders, but it is much more fun in my opinion as the aliens SWOOP down and fire on you. The graphcis are minimalistic to put it nicely, but they are functional and you just can't stop playing!

Micro Power's answer to the Star Trek phenomenon, of course it doesn't mention the actual films or series, but it is pretty close, it is a wonder they weren't sued for this! Text only, in Mode 7, it is actual a quite good strategical game, with you moving around the quadrants defeating all the Klingons.

A simple text adventure, there is absolutely no description in this game, you just get told the location and then which exits there are. It has a two word parser, and not much else! It is played in Mode 7, and does at least have one redeeming featurre, it uses colour well!

A Space Rescue clone, the old game where you have to rescue scientist stuck on the planet during a meteor shower, you must negotiate the meteors, then land in the correct places to let them get on board one at a time. This is a below average version, and is very annoying as it is just too hard, even on the first level. The graphics are good, if uninspiring, but it just has a difficulty problem!

Very early game, this shows. It is basically just kill the zombies game, very basic almost type-in quality. This should be avoided like the plague, it's really just an example of the early games this company produced before they became more professional.