Atari Stunners

Donkey Kong (£29.95 (Cartridge)), Caverns Of Mars (£29.95 (Cartridge)), Defender (£29.95 (Cartridge))
Atarisoft, Slough. Tel: 0753-33344
Moon Shuttle (£27.50 (Cassette), £27.50 (Disc))
Datasoft, Centresoft House, Unit 16, Tipton Trading Estate, Bloomfield Road, Tipton, West Midlands, DY4 9AH
Necromancer (£29.95 (Cartridge))
Synapse, Norwich Camera Centre, 20 White Lion Street, Norwich, NR2 1QB. Tel: (0620) 612537
Jumbo Jet Pilot (£29.95 (Cartridge))
Thorn EMI, Upper St. Martin's Lane, London, WC2H 9ED. Tel: 01-836 2444

A vertiginous Bob Chappell survives the best that Centresoft can throw at him

This selection of games, with not a dud among the bunch, explains why the Atari is such a popular games machine. When its graphics and sound potential are exploited to the full, the resulting games rank with the finest.

Necromancer

Heading the lineup is Necromancer, one of the strangest and most imaginative games to come my way. You control a wizard who has a magical wand that hurls out a ball of energy. Having sown a handful of tree seeds by means of the wand, the wizard's task if to defend the sprouting trees against the ravages of marauding trolls, not to mention infestation by spiders. It is vital to preserve as many trees as possible since they are needed in the next stage of the game.

The club-carrying trolls lope back and forth across the screen at irregular intervals and speeds, and can be driven back only by a blast from the magic wand.

Occasionally, an odd rubber-necked creature with a single blinking eye wanders in; touching it with a flash from the wand produces bonus seeds. Malevolent spiders attack both trees and wizard, inflicting damage on contact.

The longer the wizard lasts, the faster run the trolls and spiders until, with a great eruption of sound and movement, his strength gives out and it's on to the next stage.

The wizard is at the top of a parapet, at the other end of which is one of the trees. Hurling a magical bolt at it brings forth a delightful animated tree creature. Disembodied clutching arms descend from on high without warning to drag the hapless victim wriggling into the heavens. Below are several walled compartments, each containing a shapeless blob that looks as if it's going to hatch out into something unpleasant before long.

A tree creature has to be guided over a compartment then transformed back into a tree, whereupon its roots will gradually crack the floor beneath and down it will fall, with a mighty crash, on to the blob below.

Further tree creatures summoned forth leap over the newly created pits. If the wizard lands in a pit, he can fly upwards to escape. Passing over a question mark, seductively placed on the parapet by one of the arms, causes ladders to materialise which may be used to reach other levels.

The game has stunning graphics, a completely original and fascinating concept and excellent sound effects. In a word, magnificent.

Donkey Kong

Atari's own Donkey Kong is undoubtedly the best version for this machine; in fact, it is considerably better than any other micro's Kong. Everything is there - superb animation, colour and sound, with all the challenges of the original arcade game. There are barrels, firefoxes, hammers, rivets, elevators, sand piles, prizes, conveyor belts and mad bouncing springs.

There are four screens to conquer and five selectable levels of difficulty.

While Kong demonstrates his strength by thumping his chest and leaping up and down, Mario shows that he, too, is capable of mighty feats - he can jump two or three barrels at a time, providing he gets a long enough run-up. This is one all Atari owners should have in their collection.

Caverns Of Mars

Caverns of Mars has been out for a while but remains one of the better versions of Scramble. In this, you travel down through the caves as opposed to the usual horizontal route. There are transmitters, pyxias rockets, fuel tanks, creon rockets, space mines and laser gates to be tackled (though not all at once).

The twisting, claustrophobic caverns keep you on your toes. The final challenge is to reach and arm a fusion bomber deep within enemy territory - if you manage this, you've still got to escape back to the surface before it explodes.

There are four difficulty levels, each with extra caverns.

The graphics are crisp, smooth-scrolling and colourful. The game is never less than totally challenging.

Jumbo Jet Pilot

Jumbo Jet Pilot gives you the chance to fly your very own jumbo jet without the worry of picking up the bill when your crash it.

A detailed instrument panel covers the lower half of the screen, its readings covering altitude, airspeed, elevator setting, heading, brake and stall lights, etc. To the right of the panel is a map showing your current position relative to two airports. A window on the panel supplies a picture of the artificial horizon. Above is the view through the cockpit's window.

You are given some useful tips in getting your jumbo into the air and flying it but you can't expect a 14-page booklet to turn you into an airline pilot overnight.

I soon managed to get the craft airborne but, unfortunately, heading in the wrong direction. Despite flying with one wing pointing at the ground for most of the trip then nosediving to Mother Earth at several hundred miles an hour, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Easy it is not, but if you want an even tougher challenge there's always the night-flight option.

Moon Shuttle

No, you don't have to fly the US shuttle to the moon - this is another variation of the traditional shoot-'em-up genre. But this one has a little extra to offer.

The action alternates between manoeuvring your shuttle through a thick asteroid belt and doing battle with a variety of aliens. First come the Bomb Launchers, large double-wheeled craft which zoom overhead, executing occasional cartwheels. Next, the Expandos, pneumatic drill clones which puff up just before they let fly with a bomb. Joining the parade are the bulbous Man-O-Wars, rather like the jellyfish of the same name. Finally, the Blob Men, large sunbursts which mutate into two smaller, meaner Blob Men on being hit.

You start round again with everything a shade more vicious. Chunky graphics and effective sound put this a cut above the usual run of alien showdowns.

Defender

The classic arcade game and probably the most difficult - a player needs two pairs of eyes and three hands.

There they all are - the pods, baiters, landers, swarmers, mutants and bombers. On your side, you have the good ship Defender, fully equipped with forward and reverse thrust, lasers, smart bombs and hyperspace panic button.

The humanoids are in trouble again and you must defend them, with the help of your scanner. Joystick response is excellent and sound and graphics spectacular.

For Defender lovers (and, like the landers, there are a lot of them about), this is a must. If you don't like Defender, have a look anyway - it's a feast of movement, colour and sound.

All the above run in 16K and are available from Centresoft stockists. Centresoft are at Centresoft House, Unit 16, Tipton Trading Estate, Bloomfield Road, Tipton, West Midlands DY4 9AH. Tel: 021-520 7591