GOLD STANDARD

Of all the games reviewed in ZZAP! over the years, the following titles received the aweinspiring ZZAP! Gold Medal Award. Originally an accolade bestowed upon software rated 97% and above, it was changed to 96% after feedback from readers suggested the 97% minimum was a little too harsh. Although its usage was discontinued after the appearance of COMMODORE FORCE, the weight it carries as a recommendation still stands. Ironically, there’s only been one game reviewed in the past ten issues that would have been awarded It - Ubi Soft’s excellent First Samurai.

(n.b. There was a LOT of errors in the following list, plently of Gold Medals had been left out, especially ones in the first few issues, but I left it as it was in the magazine I.B.)

Game	Company	Rating	Issue
Alter Ego	Activision	98%	13
Armalyte	Thalamus	97%	43
Baliblazer	Activision	98%	8
Barbarian 2	Palace	96%	40
Just behind IK+ in the beat-’em-up stakes, but offers tar more variety of play. Its graphics are of an amazingly high standard; monsters IurcI and heroes stride in a convincing tashion. Unmissable
Batman:	Ocean	96%	55
Bombuzal	lmageworks	97%	44
Boulderdash CK	First Star/Databyte	97%	20
Boulderdash 2	Prism	96%	30
Bounder	Gremlin	97%	10
Bubble Bobble	Firebird	97%	30
Conversion of the popular bubble-belching coin-op. Great fun as a one-player game, manic with two, Bubble Bobble is one of the few games that could be described as timeless - it’s still as much fun as if was originally.
Buggy Boy	Elite	97%	32
California Games	Epyx/US Gold	97%	29
Creatures 2	Thalamus	97%	81
Creatures	Thatamus	96%	68
Driller	Incentive	96%	33
Revolutionary in its time, but its lack of speed does become tedious after a while. Driller will appeal to the more patient, but is still worth a look nonetheless.
Elidon, The	Activision	97%	10
Electrosound	Orpheus	97%	8
Fields of Fire	SSI/US Gold	96%	12
Frankie goes to Hollywood	Ocean	97%	5
Germany 1985	SSI/US Gold	97%	11
Ghosts ‘N’ Goblins	Elite	97%	17
Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts	US Gold	96%	57
Golden Axe	Virgin	96%	67
GAC	Incentive	N/R	17
Great Giana Sisters, The	Rainbow Arts/GO!	96%	39
Hawkeye	Thalamus	96%	40
Head over Heels	Ocean	98%	28
Heavy Metal Paradroid	Rack-It	97%	49
Remix of the original Paradroid.
IK+	The Hit Squad	97%	60
Impossible Mission 2	US Gold	96%	38
Kikstart 2(128)	Mastertronic	96%	16
Koronis Rift	Activision	96%	9
Leader Board	Access/US Gold	97%	15
Little Computer People Discovery Kit	Activision	97%	7
Mercenary	Novagen	98%	11
Microprose Soccer	Kixx	97%	85
Nebulus	Hewson	97%	32
Nobby the Aardvark	Thalamus	96%	89
Nobby the Aardvark received the last Gold Medal to be awarded to a C64 game. Despite its high difficulty level, it was a well-deserved accolade.
Paradroid	Hewson	97%	7
Project Stealth Fighter	Microprose	96%	35
Rainbow Islands	The Hit Squad	96%	81
Rambo	The Hit Squad	96%	53
Revs	Firebird	96%	10
Scapeghost	Level 9	97%	5
Scarabaeus	Ariolasoft	96%	8
SEUCK	Outlaw	N/R	32
Slamball	Americana	96%	15
Space Rogue	Mindscape	97%	58
Spindizzy	Electric Dreams	98%	14
Brilliant, ageless... affix other superlatives as required. One of the few games to receive 98%, its isometric wonder makes it worthy of the honour.
Spore	BUlldog	97%	33
Strike Fleet	Electronic Arts	96%	36
Summer Games 2	US Gold	97%	5
Tetris	Mastertronic	98%	50
Turbo Charge	System 3	96%	76
Turbo Outrun	US Gold	97%	56
Turrican	Rainbow Arts	97%	61
Turrican 2	Rainbow Arts	96%	70
Untouchables, The	Ocean	96%	55
Wizball	Ocean	96%	27
World Games	Epyx/US Gold	98%	19
Zoids	Martech	96%	12