Daemonsgate – By Imagitec Design

From the same people who brought us Viking Child and Dinolympics this game would have been a giant traditional style RPG for the Lynx. It was actually released for the 16-bit home computers but this handheld version, while sharing a similar plot and locations, was a different game. It’s now been available for several years and is about 50% complete but due to the size of the game that actually means there is a hell of a lot of gameplay here. RPG fans will lap this up but will unfortunately be left mad and frustrated by the fact this was never released. The graphics and sound here are nothing to write home about but there are certainly some nice touches even in this proto. It’s also worth checking out the review for this on the Atari Times website as there is a lot of info to help you find your way around the vast world and get the most out of this game.

6/10

 Desert Strike – By Telegames

Originally a smash hit game for the Megadrive by Electronic Arts it was a real surprise for Lynx fans when they found out Telegames had licensed this. What was even better is when we found out that it is near identical to the wonderful original! Set during the Gulf war you are a helicopter pilot who must complete a series of missions in enemy territory that involve rescuing hostages, recovering hardware and of course destroying enemy targets. The action is all viewed from an isometric perspective and your chopper can move in any direction. As well as limited machine guns and rockets you also have a winch that is used to collect items such as fuel and ammo from the terrain below. By using the option buttons you can access very handy map and mission screens at any time to help you complete your task and each level has a very handy password. The graphics, sound and gameplay are all excellent here and Teque have to be commended on fitting everything from the original onto the Lynx. I can’t help but recommend Desert Strike to every Lynx owner out there.

8/10

 Dinolympics – By Imagitec Design

This game was originally known as Humans (Dino Dudes on the Jaguar & Falcon) and was one of the very first Lemmings clones to be released to cash in on the popularity of the blue haired death merchants. It was originally released on everything from the ST to the Gameboy and was easily the most successful of the wannabes. Atari later picked up the exclusive rights for this game through creators Imagitec Design and got them to update the game for their 3 machines. The idea of the game is to guide a tribe of cavemen through a prehistoric world using teamwork and their undeveloped brains to create new inventions. Your humans can stand on top of each other to make ladders, pick up objects, jump and throw things. All these skills must be mastered and used to have any chance of completing a level. On selected levels you also get a witchdoctor who can cast spells to make you an object you require, the only down side is you must sacrifice a member of your team to do so! In this ancient world there are also dinosaurs wanting to eat you up and all manner of flying creatures that may or may not help you on your mission. The simple inventions are such things as fire, the wheel and spears and you must also work out the best way to use them! Strangely this (the first Atari) version was originally called Dino Dudes (some magazines even reviewed it as this) and had its name changed at last minute. The main difference between this and the other versions is the graphics and the way they are viewed. The action is all seen zoomed in so all you see on the screen is your human and the small area around him, this doesn't cause too many problems though as you can zoom out to see the whole level at any point. Graphics are fairly simple and un-complicated which was probably the right decision given the way they are viewed. Sound is great and the game plays just as well as the other versions once you get used to the zooming. Bored of Chip's Challenge and Lemmings? Well you could do no better than purchasing this.

8/10

 Dirty Larry: Renegade Cop – By Atari

Dirty Larry once appeared as a massive two-page preview in Atari’s Lynx Log magazine and I can remember looking forward to it more than any other game featured. I never did end up buying it for some reason and never picked it up until many years later, a decision I now don’t regret as while it’s not a bad game it could have been so much more. In its most basic form Dirty Larry is a scrolling beat ‘em up but as well as being able to use your fists Larry is armed with a gun and some limited ammo as he tries to clear up the streets and confront Mr. Big head-on. Unfortunately if you don’t have a weapon the fighting is really limited, all you can do is punch and as it can take several hits to kill bad guy this way you will inflict a lot of cheap damage. Weirdly the game is on one plane too so you can’t move up and down to avoid the enemy attacks. Dirty Larry does have really nice graphics with some nice looking backgrounds and a great intro sequence. The sound is almost non-existent though, no music at all and just a few sparse effects. Renegade Cop could have been a really nice Final Fight style game (like it looks like in screenshots) but instead it’s a rather standard scrolling fighter.

6/10

 Double Dragon – By Telegames

Quite easily one of the most popular arcade games of all time Technos' Double Dragon set a whole new standard of scrolling beat 'em ups and gave the inspiration for many more such as Final Fight, Ninja Gaiden and the Streets Of Rage games. You take the part of either Billy or Jimmy Lee on a mission to rescue their kidnapped girlfriend (yes they both share the same one, they must be very close!) from the machine gun totting Willy. Along the way you beat up many opponents from street brawlers to prostitutes and the massive Abobo who chucks you around like a toy. Among the many moves at your disposal you have; headbutts, flying kicks, elbow smashes, you can also pick up weapons to fight the bad guys with such as knives, baseball bats and even a kinky whip! Best played as a 2-player game you help each other out right up until the end of the game where having defeated the boss you must fight each other to win the girl! This Lynx version is arcade perfect in nearly every way, it just misses the mountain level that they seem to have taken out of nearly all the conversions. Much like the famous (or should that be infamous) 2600 version this one also features a great one on one mode and adds difficulty levels too. It has big bold zoomed in visuals and all the arcade tunes, although the animation is pretty poor. In my opinion this remains the best home version of a truly classic and iconic game.

9/10

 Dracula: The Undead – By Handmade Software

Based on the actual Bram Stoker book rather than any of the cheesy films, Dracula: The Undead, is an incredibly slick RPG styled adventure game. The game starts with a great digitised image of what looks like the legendary Christopher Lee himself and then goes into Bram Stoker reading you a story. Once into the game you take control of Jonathan Harker from a 3rd person 3D perspective. You can move him around with the joypad and perform actions by using a word-based interface at the bottom of the screen. This works very well once you get the hang of it and while a bit time consuming it will soon become second nature. Dracula is a vast game that was originally intended to be twice as big with battery back-up! It looks utterly gorgeous with its dark brooding graphics and attention to detail. It also sounds great with some equally moody music to help set the tone. Once again Handmade Software really pull out all the stops as far as the Lynx goes and give us the best game of its type on the machine.

8/10

 Dragnet – By MD Games

Unfortunately this isn't actually a game, its just a music demo but an amazing one at that. Its a brilliant looping track that features loads of samples from the classic Dragnet TV show in it such as "Your under arrest" and "Thank god its Friday!". While the music is playing a sort of random graphical noise moves around on the screen and quite a cool thing is the opening screen which has the writing "Insert Name" in a play on the "Insert Game" message you sometimes get. It's an amazing piece of music but not a lot else, hard one to rate really but if you are into demos or just want to pick up every single thing Lynx related then pick it up.

5/10

 Duranik Demo Cart – By Duranik

Also known as the Alpine Games Bonus cart this was originally given away as a prize to the winners of the Alpine Games high score competition on Duranik's website and is now available to buy from that very same place www.duranik.com. This PCB with a printed label and a box contains a series of very cool demo's and a fully playable game that was originally supposed to be a hidden bonus event on Alpine Games. All the demos are linked together by a Shadow Of The Beast style menu where you are a jester and walk along through a medieval landscape knocking on doors to enter each demo. The animation of the character is faultless and there are well over 16 colours on screen plus parallax scrolling on this sequence too. Now onto the demos: Formula 1 - This is just a rolling demo of a racing game Duranik were playing around with that uses the Alpine Games engine that was used for the slalom event. It looks much like World Tour Racing for the Jag and is super smooth and very fast too. Would be great to see this become a finished game. MOD Music - Just a simple demo of some module music with a few colour bars on the screen - sounds really great though. Karate - Now this I would love to see something done with. You are shown a series of Streetfighter 2 style backdrops with a little sprite in front that occasionally does a kick. There are loads of colours on screen and the detail is awesome I can only imagine how awesome this could be if a real 1 on 1 fighter was made out of it!

Downhill - The first of the Alpine Games off cuts this is another rolling demo of an engine that they wanted to use for downhill skiing but didn't have the room to include it. Highly impressive with great textures, loads of colours and super smooth too. Nebulus - A simple demo of an engine that could be used to produce a version of Nebulus (also known as Tower Toppler on the 7800) for the Lynx. You can just spin the tower left and right. Looks pretty nice. Intro Figures - An intro for Alpine Games that wasn't used where the various competitors materialise in and out of the screen in different guises. A nice effect. Barrel Jumping - Last but not least the playable game on the cart that was originally the secret event for Alpine Games but left out due to lack of space. You have to skate along picking up as much speed as possible to jump a series of barrels. You have to time you jumps just right and perfect your landings too. This little game uses the full arsenal of Duranik's hardware tricks with motion capture, transparency, well over 16 colours on screen and faultless animation. Real class. Overall a great cart that really shows what the Lynx can do. If you have a version of our favourite handheld then get hold of this and prepare to be amazed!

9/10

 Electrocop – By Epyx

One of the launch games for the system this was originally going to be the third instalment of the Impossible Mission series and to play it you can certainly see why as it takes many elements from the hit franchise. The plot is something to do with the President’s daughter being kidnapped and all you need to know is that it’s your job to rescue her. You must make your way through an enemy infested base using the computers to deactivate shields, guards and find the passwords in order to complete your mission. Everything is viewed from a side perspective but makes really unique use of the Lynx’s scaling abilities by also adding depth. So you can move in and out of the screen too and walls become transparent as they move close to you so you can see where you are going. This works incredibly well and will certainly impress the hell out of you the first time you see it. I also love the way the computers have little games that can be played when you enter them including Breakout and Asteroids! Electrocop is no slouch in the sound department either with a really rocking soundtrack throughout the game. If you like your arcade adventures and you like them tough then look no further than this impressive title.

8/10

 European Soccer Challenge – By Krysalis / Telegames

While the title may not be instantly recognisable the game certainly will be as what we have here is a conversion of the best selling 16-bit home computer game Manchester United Europe (also known as European Club Soccer on the Megadrive). When it was first released it was hailed as the best side viewed footy game ever and it still holds up well today. You can compete in friendlies or compete in what we used to call the UEFA Cup. The selection of teams on offer is unbelievable, from the might of Barcelona, AC Milan and Tottenham Hotspur (my own team!) to the likes of Dundee United, Shamrock Rovers and Wrexham! The game doesn’t have any real names for the players but does allow you to choose your tactics and each team does differ in technique. Your players are able to pass, chip, volley, cross and of course shoot so there are plenty of ways to score goals too. The whole game is wonderfully presented with great static screens and superb parallax scrolling pitch. Euro Soccer is a bit weak in the sound department though with nothing more than a title tune and some sparse sound effects. Infinitely better than the other football game on the Lynx this is one of the best sports titles available for the handheld.

9/10

 Eye Of The Beholder – By Atari

Something evil is lurking below the city of Waterdeep. The Lords of Waterdeep summon a group of heroes to investigate. But someone or something has been watching the proceedings. After the heroes enter the sewers, the ceiling collapses behind them. The only way out is the way down, into a dungeon filled with monsters, traps and puzzles. Eye of the Beholder is a dungeon crawler RPG with a first-person perspective based on the 2nd Edition AD&D rules. Your starting party consists of four characters and up to two NPCs can join later. Combat and magic happen in real time. Fight over a dozen different monster varieties and cast over 40 spells. A point-and-click interface makes exploring, fighting, spellcasting and handling objects easy. This game was converted to the Lynx by NuFx for Atari, who also handled the conversions of APB and Hard Drivin' among others, but was never released. This was mostly because it’s a 512k game featuring battery back and was deemed too expensive. Thankfully the game was finally released by ardent Lynx fan Eric DeLee in 2010 with a professional box and instructions. There is no doubt this game would have been a massive hit on the Lynx and its such a shame that after Atari paying a fortune for the licence it went unreleased, just another example of Tramiel stupidity. But we can be thankful that this wonderful RPG is now available to us all and fans of the genre need to put this top of their shopping list.

9/10

 Fat Bobby – By Telegames / Lore Design

Fat Bobby is a rather strange name for a very good platformer that is an after market release for the Lynx by Telegames and was programmed by the same people behind Kung Food. You play some guy out of a rock band who must jump around the levels collecting musical notes and defeating the baddies with his guitar. This really is a platformer in the traditional sense of the word, very heavy on the actual jumping and ability to reach platforms. The levels are split down into smaller sections and each one has a boss at the end. Musical notes are collected like coins in Mario and you are sometimes required to collect arrows that open up different areas. The bad guys all follow the “rock band” theme of the game and some of them are huge, requiring multiple smashes of your guitar to kill. Many of them are armed too and can take you out pretty quickly if you are not careful. The first thing I noticed about Fat Bobby when I played it was that the graphics are gorgeous; really well defined and animated sprites, attractive level design, creative characters and a great choice of colours too. It’s also no slouch when it comes to the sound either as a host of cool tunes accompany the action. If you are looking for a Mario like fix on the Lynx then look no further, Fat Bobby may well fill that void rather nicely!

8/10

 Fission – By RGC

The Retro-Gaming Connexion are a bunch of clever folks in France making new games for classic machines on a non-profit basis and this is their first release for the Atari Lynx! Fission is fantastic little breakout clone that is played with the Lynx in its vertical orientation, much like the brilliant Klax. It starts off a bit like Bust-A-Move as you are able to move an arrow to point to where you want to shoot the ball. But after that its just like normal Breakout as you simply have to hit the ball with your bat to break all bricks and move onto the next level. If you miss the ball you lose a life, you start with 3, but every 500 points you are awarded a new one. Some of the bricks need multiple hits to destroy and some others are indestructible. The ball speeds up as you play so quick reflexes are required for this game. Graphically the game has a really nice look to it, it’s very futuristic in style and reminds me of a lot of modern Android and iOS games. There are also plenty of great sound effects to accompany the action. There are plenty of levels to get through and the sensitivity of the paddle is set perfectly. I believe this game is going to be worked on further and I really hope it is because by adding things like power-ups and music this could make a brilliant full blown cart release for the Lynx.

7/10

 Gates Of Zendocon – By Epyx

This Lynx launch title was one of the first games to really show of the power of the machine, it’s a graphical tour-de-force with over 50 levels of horizontally scrolling shoot ‘em up action. The “Gates” part of the title refers to the portals you enter at the end of each level, some levels have multiple gates and allow you to play the game in a non-linear way. Each level also has a handy password so you can always go back to try different gates or just take things up where you left off. As impressive as GOZ looks and sounds, with its great music, you can help but feel that the gameplay is slightly lacking. While there are loads of great looking enemies the attack patterns never seem to vary much and at times it can just seem like you are endlessly shooting them down without any real effort. The power-ups in this game are also very lacking with a rather poor selection of weapons, I did really like the way you could use the exhaust flame of your ship though. At the end of the day GOZ is worth getting as the only game of it’s type on the Lynx but don’t go expecting the likes of Darius of R-Type here.

7/10

 Gauntlet: The Third Encounter – By Epyx

Another one of the launch games for the system this game started off being called Treasure Chests before Atari purchased the Lynx and added the Gauntlet name to it. It’s clear for all to see when you play too as although it certainly shares more than a few gameplay elements with the Atari arcade game it also has many features of its own. There are a multitude of characters to select from, including the original 4 from Gauntlet 1 & 2, and they all have their own unique weapons and abilities. It’s also worth noting that this was the very first Lynx game released that required you to hold the machine vertically so your status bar and inventory appears at the bottom of the screen and still gives you a square gameplay area. It’s a feature that works very well here and isn’t as hard to get used to as many would think. You can no longer just pick everything up as you trawl the maze like dungeons. Now you have a limited inventory so must pick-up, drop and use stuff as needed. Graphics wise this game is very good and makes full use of the Lynx’s abilities, in the sound department it features some great music but sadly lacks the trademark speech. Although I like Gauntlet 3 I don’t like some of the changes and have to say I would have preferred something more like Gauntlet 2 instead.

7/10

 Gordo 106 – By Tenth Planet

If you thought that Toki was the only monkey to star in a Lynx platformer then you would be wrong! Gordo 106 is just that and was the one and only Lynx game released by obscure 3rd party producers Tenth Planet. You play the part of a monkey who has managed to escape from his cage in a testing lab and is on a mission to set free all his friends and escape. The game is a pretty standard example of the genre for the most part but has one unique, and in my opinion very annoying, feature. This is the pits that are strewn around each level ready for you to fall in. If you don’t manage to jump over them you find yourself in some hellish underworld that often results in instant death. If you are lucky (and better at games than me!) then you might be able to escape some of them. Mostly though you will just swear and get very annoyed at the programmers for including them. Scientists walk around the levels and will catch you if they can but thankfully you are armed with a limited bag of tomatoes with which to take them out! You can collect more of these through the game as well as bananas too for bonus points. Gordo 106 does have really nice graphics with a great intro, nice animation and impressive parallax scrolling. It also has pretty decent music too alongside some sound effects. Biggest problem is all the annoying and often seemingly impossible jumps. Platform game fans may enjoy this game but everyone else should steer well clear!

5/10