This is the point at which I break every rule of review writing etiquette and say 'BUY, BUY, BUY!' right at the start instead of during my summing up. This compilation is a real corker and if you can bear to hang around a bit longer I'll tell you why.

4th And Inches is the first of these treats and is an American Football game but don't let that put you off. As soon one who gets suicidally bored at the mere mention of American Footie I was pleasantly surprised. Even if you don't know any of the moves you can get straight into this one and play 'blind'.

One of the major plusses of 4th And Inches is the fact that it's not just a strategic simulation: all of the intricacies of the game are there but you also control your players in real-time so you can make desperate dashes through the oncoming opponents which really gets the adrenalin going.

So if you fancy yourself as a bit of a 'Fridge' or any other kitchen appliance for that matter, you won't go far wrong with this.

Moving swiftly on we come to Fast Break, a 'lofty chaps with leather balls' sim - yep it's basketball we're talking about.

Again there is a huge number of gameplay options available for the perfectionist but the impatient gamer can wade straight in and still have a riot. Each player has three team members, one of which flashes to indicate that he's the one currently under joystick control.

If another team member is in a better position then a quick press of the Fire button swaps control. The trickiest part is trying to net the ball. More often than not it just rolls and the rim then drops arrassingly off the edge!

Fast Break is a neat little sports sim' and you can either play against the computer or against a friend which considerably increases the enjoyment.

And so we move from basketball court to racetrack and a game called Grand Prix Circuit.

This is a 3D racing sim with a choice of eight different tracks, variable difficulty levels from 'easy' (with automatic gears and a virtually indestructable car) to 'practically impossible', a practice mode, one race mode and the championship.

It plays well, and the graphics are superb. The smooth, fast moving track, coupled with realistic control of your car makes this game a real bargain in itself.

The final game is a tad unusual and, at first glance, appears a bit dull. However, after a few plays it really grabs your interest by the short and curlies and just won't let go. Blue Angels is a flight simulator with a difference.

You become a member of a formation flying team. You have a choice of which position in the formation you take and can then practice any of the set manoeuvres. The top half of the screen shows your view through the cockpit window, the bottom half shows a 3D representation of the route.

A small target plane is displayed to show the perfect path through the manoeuvre and you must try to stay as close as possible to this in order to increase your ranking and more importantly, stay alive.

There are other cockpit indicators to tell you what manoeuvre is coming up next and which direction to take. The ultimate aim is to fly a whole air display with as little error as possible. As a flight simulator it's pretty basic but it does have an addictive quality and enoough originality which more than makes up for it.