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"But what does it all mean, Basil?"

It's entirely possible that there may be confusion about the ratings system. First of all, why percentages? Well, I happen to like them, that's why. I also find them a little more flexible. Plus, this website is inspired mainly by the classic magazines of the 80s, Crash and ZZAP!64, and they used percentages. Call it an homage, if you will. If you don't like them, divide the scores by ten, and you've got a handy "marks out of ten" conversion right there.

Next, the actual scoring system. Now, you might read a review of a Spectrum game and see that it got, say, 84% for Graphics. Then you might read a review of an arcade game, which has clearly got better graphics than the Spectrum game, yet it only got 70% for Graphics. How can that be, you might ask? Well, we mark the games relative to the system that they are reviewed on. So, while those graphics, for example, might not be good compared to an arcade game, they might be great for the Spectrum, hence the higher mark. You see?

Now for an explanation of the review box.

Graphics. The monitor indicates at a glance that this category is Graphics. Of course, the great big lettering also helps. Basically, this is how good a game looks. The quality of the animation, the definition of the characters and backgrounds, the colouring....it all goes towards the Graphics mark.
Sound. The speaker, for that is what it is, indicates the sound category. This takes into account, the music and sound effects, but not only does it take into account the quality of those things, but also the appropriateness. If you're dealing laser-death to the sounds of a jolly ragtime tune, that's not very atmospheric, and will be marked down.
Hook. Yes, that's a fish hook. Well, you try finding free, good quality clipart of a hook! Anyway, this category marks how quickly a game grabs you and makes you want to keep playing, initially. If it's very easy to get into, and lots of fun initially, it will score highly here.
Lifespan. The clock indicates the length of time that you will play the game. If the game takes a long time to complete, but is fun and challenging throughout, it will score well here. However, if a game is too easy to complete, or is just tedious to play after a while, then it will be marked down.
Retro-Rating. The sunglasses reflect rose-tinted glasses, the nostalgic way we view all our favourite old games. This is our overall mark, the final score by which a game is judged. It takes into account all of the above ratings, and also the nostalgia factor of the game, but it is not an average, rather a reflection of how good we feel the game is as a whole. If the game scores highly, or very low, it will be given an award....




Any game achieving a mighty Retro-Rating of 95% or over is regarded as "Retro Gold!". This game will be so good that we urge everybody to go and play it as soon as possible. You won't regret it!
Any game achieving a Retro-Rating of between 85% and 94% is regarded as a "Retro Blast!". Obviously, the game is still a blast to play, and should be checked out by all but those that REALLY hate this genre of game.
Just because a game is far from good, doesn't mean it should miss out on an award. That being our thinking, any game that scores a Retro-Rating of 25% or less will be deemed a "Retro Turkey!". You should avoid this game at all costs, unless you want to play it to see just how bad it really is....
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