Yet another compilation competing for your Xmas dosh, and (as with all of them) how good its value is depends on how many of the games you've got already. In this one you get four biggies (some of which have been on compilation before) plus LED Storm (a slightly older game) for free. Barg, or what?
    
BLACK TIGER
An arcade conversion of six levels, each teeming with dragons and demons - you play the Black Tiger, an armoured Conan-type armed with an extendable mace and throwable knives. There's multidirectional scrolling with arrows so you don't get lost, clear monochrome graphics, oodles of platforms to jump across and lots of action, but it didn't make quite the impression the other games on this compilation did - it's just a bit more ordinary.
    '91 Rating: 76°
    
STRIDER
Ah, the cold war - remember that? Capcom certainly do - it's all going on here. You have to make your way into a futuristic version of Moscow, get rid of the commie baddies, and save the western world. All the things you'd expect are here - the KGB, Siberia, the Red Army - plus smooth scrolling, very crisp monochrome graphics, oodles of platforms and Strider himself, possibly the most agile character in computer games. I liked this one, though it's perhaps a bit too short and easy.
    '91 Rating: 89°
    
FORGOTTEN WORLDS
Oh, I liked this one too. There's lots of colour and some good scrolling backdrops, shops (very useful) where you can buy weapons from (using blue tokens picked up from dead baddies) and quite an original feel to the whole thing. The controls are quite difficult though, and it takes a bit of skill to work them out. The really ace thing about it though is the fact that you can fly (courtesy of a jetpack). "Fast... flash... frantic" was the verdict last time. Verdict upheld.
    '91 Rating: 88°
    
GHOULS 'N' GHOSTS
The sequel to Ghosts 'n' Goblins, it's a sort of medieval shoot-'em-up, where your job is to rescue the rather stupidly-named princess Prin Prin. It's all very platformy and scrolly, with five levels, each chock-a-block with vultures, zombies, hags and wizards. (Take care not to touch any of these otherwise you'll be reduced first to your smalls and then to a heap of bones!) The graphics are neat and colourful, there's lots to do and it's actually very difficult. Dead good (probably the best game in the pack).
    '91 Rating: 91°
    
LED STORM
An overhead view driving game, in which you race through different monochrome levels killing nasties and collecting things. Sounds fairly normal, but this is rather more futuristic than most, packed as it is with oil slicks, mines and manic frogs(?).
    The most impressive thing about LED Storm is the speed at which your car races along, the least impressive thing is that it's all a bit samey. I don't rate this one much but then it is the 'free' game so it doesn't matter.
    '91 Rating: 70°
    
So there you have it, a pretty nice package. The only one I'm not so keen on is LED Storm, but the others are still as good as their original ratings suggest, especially Ghouls. You can't really complain when you're getting all the best games US Gold have done for years, can you?

Ratings given by other magazines

9/10

Info supplied by the SPOT*ON database

YS Cross-references
		Black Tiger/US Gold	YS51	78
		Forgotten Worlds/US Gold	YS43	86
		Forgotten Worlds (in The YS Complete Guide To Shoot-'em-ups Part II)	YS56	82
		Forgotten Worlds/Kixx	YS68	83
		Ghouls And Ghosts/US Gold	YS46	PRE
		Ghouls And Ghosts/US Gold	YS48	91
		Ghouls And Ghosts (in Coin-Op Hits II)	YS66	82
		Ghouls And Ghosts (in Chart Attack)	YS73	92
		Ghouls And Ghosts/Kixx	YS76	67
		LED Storm/US Gold	YS39	7
		LED Storm/Hit Squad	YS70	82
		Strider/US Gold	YS47	90