THE COMPLICATIONS OF COMPILATIONS

Aaargh! Which one to buy? Dr Berkmann takes a butchers at the latest batch...

Ah yes, it's a complicated business. The implications and ramifications of compilations can cause such vacillations and palpitations in selection situations, (as my old granny used to say). So which should you invest your pools money in? Since my last round-up in July I've been literally deluged by newies - okay, I've had six - and here they are, dissected without mercy. Heh heh heh! Although I've referred to the original reviews (the dates in brackets refer to the issues they first appeared in), I've tried to judge the games by today's standard's, so some of the marks may be a smidgin different (ie lower). Fings ain't wot they used to be (thank God!).

SUMMER GOLD
US Gold
£9.95

Summer? Hah! As the rain courses dismally down the windows of Rathbone Castle, it's hard to get too excited about anything that claims any connection with 'summer'. Still, this isn't a bad collection, even if you get the feeling that US Gold's really dredging up oldies that aren't so much goldies as mouldies. Bruce Lee (May '85) was one of the very first beat 'em ups - fortunately things have come along a little since then. Dambusters (Sept '85) and Beach-Head II (Feb '86) haven't aged too gracefully either, but Impossible Mission (Dec '85') remains the classically addictive platformer it always was. More recently there's Adventuresoft's first game, Rebel Planet, which the troll supremo gave a guarded weclome to, back in Sept '86. 10th Frame (April '87) is the newest of the six, a bowling sim with the same pedigree (and control system) as Leaderboard, but without quite the same addictive qualities. A fair compilation, but nowt to write home about.

COMING SOON...

...two more splendid compilations for the autumn. Activision's got a collection of all those fab Lucasfilm games (Ballblazer, The Eidolon and so on) which should be out in the shops by the time you read this. And Gremlin's Star Games II is out soon, with one or two titles you may have seen elsewhere, like The Eidolon and Ballblazer! (Not to mention Highway Encounter, also available on the Vortex comp.) But we'll keep you posted.

ALL TOGETHER NOW

Paul Sumner reviews the latest compilations - there's gold in them thar software shelves, if you know where to look.

Ever since the Spectrum stormed into the homes of young innocent children, compilations of previously released games have been lurking on the software shelves. From the outset compilations were purchased for quantity more than quality - the largest collections seemed to give more value for money, more games per pound. But as buyers became more prudent software houses found themselves having to be more selective in what they put on their cassettes.

No longer are compilations just collections of rejected old games. With the growing importance of budget software in the sales charts (see our feature on page 45), most compilations are now slickly-presented and well-advertised packages proclaiming value for money. Most software houses have even setup departments which scour the market for games to go on compilations.

With the supposed summer software slump now past, a whole plethora of compilations is about to be released to satisfy our appetite in the dull time between The PCW Show and Christmas.

This collection of compilations shows the dilemma facing the buyer on the high street. Should you go for a great big bundle of software that you've never heard of? Or is it better to play safe with compilations of well-established oldies?

My advice is to stick with well-known titles; at least that way you won't buy a package with any really rancid games. And whatever you do don't discard a compilation just because it contains a f ew golden oldies - they're often more playable than new games for which more time has been spent on presentation than on content.

If you're going out to buy a particular game, it's worth looking around on the compilations first. Most full-price games reach their peak sales within a few weeks, so within a few months they can be on compilations, where their sales will b e steadier. If you're really shrewd you could give up buying individual games altogether, and just get the hits all in one package - though this way you tend to be about six months behind the rest of the software scene. Have a good look around, there's bound to be a compilation for you somewhere.

Note: the information boxes on this page give each game's original CRASH Overall percentage and then the issue in which it was reviewed, N/A means the game was not reviewed in CRASH.

The budget market has just got into compilations, with two distinct approaches. On the one hand you have The Power House throwing together most of their £1.99 releases, past and present. In a bundle of budget fun - Powerplays, eight games for £9.99. None of the games are very impressive, the point being quantity rather than quality. On the other hand you have Tynesoft looking at the budget problem from a completely different angle: in the Micro Value Pack you only get four (very old and not very good) games, but for the extremely cheap compilation price of £3.99.

Youn might think summer is all over now, but in attempt to brighten up everyones lives US Gold has released Summer Gold. In true US Gold style this latest bundle of fun offers a wide range of games, from old favourites like Bruce (How many times did you complete it?) Lee and Beach Head II to recent simulations: Tenth Frame and Dambusters. And, like The Edge, US Gold throws in an adventure, Rebel Planet, to counter the aggressive bashing and blasting of the arcade games. There's nothing really bad in Summer Gold - what you've got is six respectable full-price games for £8.99.

SUMMER GOLD
US Gold
Tenth Frame - 55% Issue 38
Impossible Mission - 76% Issue 22
Rebel Planet - 85% Issue 31
Dambusters - 75% Issue 21
Bruce Lee - 91% Issue 16
Beach Head II - 74% Issue 24