Latest Game Reviews

Target Renegade

Author: Maddie - Published: 6 June 2025, 9:00 pm

Target Renegade is a side-scrolling beat 'em up developed by Imagine Software and published by Ocean Software in 1988. The game was originally conceived as a follow-up to Technōs Japan's arcade hit Renegade, though Ocean developed this sequel independently after acquiring the rights to create home computer versions of the Renegade franchise.

Ocean's acquisition of the Renegade license came through their aggressive pursuit of popular arcade conversions during the mid-1980s. While Technōs Japan had created the original Renegade arcade game in 1986, Ocean secured the rights to develop home computer adaptations and sequels specifically for the European market. This allowed them to create Target Renegade as an original sequel rather than a direct arcade port, giving their development team creative freedom to expand upon the formula while maintaining the core gameplay mechanics that made the original successful.

Author: GN Team - Published: 6 June 2025, 11:20 am

Battle Isle is the first game of the popular series of sci-fi turn-based war games developed by Blue Byte Software. This first title was released in 1991 for the Amiga and MS-DOS, and it included 16 levels to play against the computer and another 16 for 2 players.

This hex-based tactical warfare game, designed by Thomas Hertzler and Lothar Schmitt, established Blue Byte as a major force in strategic gaming, combining complex military simulation with accessible gameplay mechanics.

The game presents players with a futuristic military conflict on the island of Chromos, where two factions battle for control using a vast array of land, sea, and air units. The hex-based movement system allows for precise tactical positioning, while the simultaneous turn resolution creates tension as players must anticipate enemy movements without knowing their exact plans. Each unit type has specific strengths, weaknesses, and movement capabilities, from basic infantry and tanks to advanced aircraft and naval vessels. The fuel and ammunition system adds strategic depth, requiring players to manage supply lines and plan attacks carefully rather than simply rushing forward with superior numbers.

Author: GN Team - Published: 5 June 2025, 9:42 pm

Dungeon Master II: Skullkeep, also known as The Legend of Skullkeep, is the sequel to the famous fantasy dungeon crawler RPG Dungeon Master.

The game was initially released for the PC-98 in 1993, designed by Doug Bell, who had worked on the original Dungeon Master. This sequel to the groundbreaking 1987 original expanded the formula with larger environments, more complex puzzles, and enhanced graphics capabilities. It was later ported to MS-DOS and Amiga in 1995, with each version showcasing different strengths and technical approaches to the enhanced gameplay mechanics.

Author: Maddie - Published: 5 June 2025, 9:07 pm

Bomb Jack is an arcade platformer created by Tehkan (later known as Tecmo) and released in 1984. The game was designed by Michitaka Tsuruta and Kazutoshi Ueda (also known for the arcades Lady Bug and Mr. Do! and for Bonk's Revenge among other things). The arcade featured the acrobatic hero Jack collecting bombs while avoiding enemies across colorful single-screen levels inspired by famous landmarks and monuments. It was subsequently ported to numerous home computers, including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and MSX, with each version facing unique challenges in recreating the arcade experience.

Author: Maddie - Published: 5 June 2025, 8:07 pm

Seven Cities of Gold: Commemorative Edition is an enhanced remake of Dan Bunten's groundbreaking 1984 exploration and colonization game. The remake was developed by SEGA and released by Electronic Arts in 1993 for MS-DOS systems. The original Seven Cities of Gold was a revolutionary title that combined exploration, resource management, and strategic thinking in ways that would profoundly influence future game designers, most notably Sid Meier.

Dan Bunten's original masterpiece cast players as Spanish conquistadors exploring the New World, seeking the legendary seven cities of gold while managing relationships with native populations, establishing colonies, and dealing with the logistical challenges of 16th-century exploration. The game was remarkable for its time, featuring randomly generated maps that made each playthrough unique, a sophisticated trading system, and moral complexity rare in early computer games. Bunten's design philosophy emphasized player agency and emergent gameplay - concepts that would later become cornerstones of games like Sid Meier's Civilization and Sid Meier's Pirates!. The influence on Meier was direct and acknowledged; the exploration mechanics and "just one more turn" compulsion that would define the Civilization series can be traced directly back to Bunten's pioneering work.

Author: Maddie - Published: 5 June 2025, 6:33 pm

Smash T.V. is an arcade game created by Eugene Jarvis and Mark Turmell for Williams Electronics and released in 1990. It was later ported to several platforms, including Genesis, Amiga, Atari ST, NES, Master System, SNES, and many others.

The game presents a dystopian vision where contestants fight for their lives on live television, battling through rooms filled with murderous robots, mutants, and psychopaths for the chance to win "big money, big prizes!" Players are dropped into this televised bloodbath where survival means mowing down endless waves of enemies while collecting cash, keys, and power-ups scattered across each arena-like room. The gameplay builds directly on Jarvis's earlier masterpiece Robotron: 2084, using the same twin-stick control scheme where one joystick moves your character while the other fires in eight directions. Players progress through increasingly chaotic rooms, each packed with different enemy types - from basic grunts to heavily armed soldiers, spiders, and screen-filling boss monsters. The genius lies in the risk-reward mechanics: while survival is paramount, greed drives you to dash into danger for cash bonuses and weapon upgrades like the devastating bazooka or the rapid-fire toaster gun.