Since the original Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar Games has gone from strength to strength, with the GTA series exploding. This partly due to the game's fantastic sandbox approach, giving players an incredible feeling of space and control. The game takes place in three different cities: Liberty City, San Andreas and Vice City and you earn points by causing damage, car sales and cashing in your criminal activities. Anyone who knows their cultural references is also going to enjoy Grand Theft Auto's subtle references to Miami Vice and Scarface.

At first Grand Theft Auto seems a bit superficial. After a while playing, you notice that the game is addictive, with bunches of clever little touches that make it really fun. If you listen to the radio while driving, for example, you'll find 7 radio stations with really professional-sounding - but invented - hits.

Although it looks dated now, Grand Theft Auto is a classic game that you absolutely can not miss.

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Before the seminal GTA 3 brought the series into glorious 3D, Grand Theft Auto was a pseudo 3D, top down arcade game. The first two entries were cult games for a reason - filled with puerile humor and extreme violence, they were 18 rated affairs, and GTA 2 still warrants that.

GTA 2 sticks to the basic formula of the first game. You are free to roam the city, stealing cars, mowing down pedestrians and picking fights with the cops. The story of the game revolves around you going to pay phones, and doing jobs for the various gangs around the city. You need to earn their respect before you work for them, and can do this by killing their rivals.

GTA 2's controls are pretty simple, although connecting a game pad is probably the best way to play. Gameplay is fast and arcade-like, with scores popping up as you kill people and damage vehicles. It is still fun to play today, though mainly due to the freedom the 2D sandbox gives you. There are plenty of problems with the game, though. The graphics have not aged well at all, considering it was released in 1999, and the lack of an in-game map in GTA 2 makes orientation a pain.

GTA 2 is a fun arcade game, but more of a curiosity than a classic, as it features none of the depth or subtlety that the series went on to achieve.

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Of the 100 levels available in the game, 75 are at least identical to those you'll find in Galaga. Otherwise the game offers updated graphics, more bonuses and special effects. Your goal is like in any typical space shoot'em up, to shoot down enemy ships and beat the end of level bosses. The game can get quite challenging with enemy fire all over the screen and alien ships racing at you.

To make Warblade work properly you'll have to ensure that your graphics card is good enough. Don't worry though, if your computer can take games with higher end graphics then it will have no trouble with Warblade.

If you like shoot'em ups and you're a big fan of arcade games you'll enjoy playing Warblade. However you'll probably find the game gets a bit repetitive after a while.

Warblade is an updated and improved version of Galaga, a classic Amiga futuristic shoot'em up.

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Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch is a multiplayer online shooter, that perfectly recreates the 8-bit world of early Mega Man, in bright 3D environments. Controls are configurable, but essentially this is a mouse and keyboard game. It's also really fast! Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch will see you zipping around dodging and strafing around other lightning fast players.

There seem to be few tactics involved in Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch; it's 3D shooting at it's most basic. However, it's fast and fun, and great for fans of the series. The aim of the game is simply getting the most kills, or 'Frags', in typical death match style. There are lots of levels to play, and tons of powerups and weapons to pick up along the way. There are 'Robot Masters' from Mega Man 1 to 6, so there's sure to be characters you know in Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch.

Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch is strictly for fans of the series and those who like old school FPS gameplay. It's neither subtle or gory like many of today's shooters, and the graphics might be a turn off to anybody who didn't grow up in the early days of video games.

As a remedy for testosterone-filled macho multiplayer games like Medal of Honor, Mega Man 8-bit Deathmatch is fantastic. Fans will love it, and it's easy enough to play that you don't need to be an expert to pick it up.

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While Astro Avenger includes many traditional elements of classical space games (the aforementioned vertical scrolling, enemy waves, lots of power-ups) it also takes advantage of current technology, mainly regarding graphics and special effects such as lasers, explosions and the likes.

What I specially liked about Astro Avenger II was the possibility to buy new weapons, shields and bots – or upgrade the ones you already have – after completing each level. On the downside, some stages are so enemy-packed you can hardly tell enemies from the background scenario.

Astro Avenger II is the kind of game when you just need some simple, easy fun: an amusing space invaders clone with loads of explosions and power-ups.

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This frantic shooter follows the tradition of vertical scrolling games in which you have to kill anything that comes down the screen. Enemies will appear in separate waves, along with some asteroids and a big boss from time to time. Fortunately there is also some help in the shape of diverse bonus that provide you with more powerful weapons or a temporal protective shield.

Alien Wars includes a long list of levels, which means that you'll have fun for quite a while. On the downside, it also requires concentration and fast-responding reflexes, so be prepared for a few deaths before you get the knack of it.

Alien Wars brings back the excitement, fun and action of a good old space shooter.

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The iPhone game Space Invaders Infinity Gene took a similar approach to evolving shoot 'em up (shmup) gameplay, but Genetos is in some ways much more impressive. Every generation of shoot 'em ups is represented, and each is done really, really well. From the basic horizontal movement of the early games, with blocky aliens, to the swirling 3D enemies filling the screen with bullets of recent years, Genetos covers pretty much everything.

Genetos has difficulty levels to suit all players, although once you reach the final generation, there's no avoiding that it requires some skillful play. Checking Genetos' readme file included in the download reveals there is a button that allows you to move more slowly - that's how much accuracy is needed to thread your space craft through the clouds of approaching threats!

For fans of the genre, Genetos will be a joy, and if you don't know anything about shoot 'em ups, everything you need to know is here. It's strange to see a game about games, and especially to play one that's so much fun and so unpretentious.

Genetos is a great piece of educational alien blasting, with excellent sound, gameplay and graphics, which are even more impressive considering it's a free game.

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The game includes three different difficulty levels (rookie, novice and expert) though, in truth, all three are quite hard. The controls are pretty easy (cursor keys and Z-X for firing) but I have to say I had some problems with the down key the first time I launched the game: it simply wouldn't make the spaceship go down, but rather backwards instead. Luckily this was solved with a quick key remapping.

ProtoType may be a bit difficult, but it's also loads of fun, especially if you played this kind of games during the 80s. You'll feel like you've traveled back in time – only with better graphics and improved sound effects. You can play ProtoType at different screen resolutions and also choose between a few different tracks as background music.

The main drawback to ProtoType is its shortness: the game only features three stages, but the developers promises to create more if the game is successful enough.

With ProtoType you'll go back to old-school space invaders in a fun, action packed battle against many different enemies.

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Kobo is a Windows remake of Xkobo, a popular space shooter for X11 systems. This modern version achieves to maintain the look and feel of old arcade space games, including waves of colorful enemies to defeat, loads of explosions and a fast-paced soundtrack. Plus, it features joystick support so if you have one, plug it to your PC and you'll really feel back in the eighties!

Kobo's aim is simple: kill whatever moves on your screen and don't let your spaceship get in touch with anything. Your mission consists on destroying enemy space bases by firing their weak points: some of them are really easy but some others require more shooting. In fact, the only difficulty I found was the spaceship's movement itself: instead of drifting along, your ship moves following a grid pattern (such as, for example, the snake game in mobile phones) which takes a while to get used to.

Kobo is an old-style arcade game that provides nostalgic fun, but requires some ability to control the spaceship's movement.

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True to its ideals, Cosmic Prison Commando does indeed look just like one of those games, with blocky, garish colors. If you played games in the 80s, this will bring back memories. It's a totally new game, but plays just like an oldie, even down to your hero Jack's shooting limitations. He can run, duck and jump, but he can't shoot up or down, only side to side. He's an angry, muscle bound hero who has to shoot everything in his path. It's very uncomplicated.

The gameplay is good, if you enjoy this type of thing. It's not easy, and when you die you are returned to the beginning of the level. This is slightly frustrating, although thankfully enemies stay dead, so you can always progress. There are no continues, and no saves! While this is officially a demo, it's really big, and you'll be surprised how much there is to explore. The game's physics work well, and the weapon power ups are excellent.

Everything about Cosmic Prison Commando is straight from the 80s. That means it's pretty hard, and of course the no save games were par for the course then too. The developer has obviously put a lot of effort in to this original slice of retro violence, and while younger players might just find it irritating, anyone who grew up with this type of game will really enjoy it.

Cosmic Prison Commando is a great piece of purist retro action!

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When it comes to gaming, addiction is what sells, and Astrobatics has this in abundance, as you fly through space at breakneck speeds blasting all manner of weird and wonderful enemies and traversing obstacles.

This can make the game a little frustrating but not quite enough to prevent you coming back for more. As you grow to learn the weaknesses of the end bosses, you should find you can go on to achieve greatness in Astrobatics.

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