Konix Speedking

Your Sinclair

Linda Barker

TIDINGS OF COMFORT AND JOYSTICKS As we've no doubt pointed out about 20 times already this issue, Christmas is almost upon us, so what better time to take a good long gander at the wonderful world of joysticks? After all, they make an ideal stocking filler! (Or so LINDA BARKER thinks anyway.) Not really knowing a massive amount about joysticks (it has to be said) I thought I'd check with a couple of my sources before embarking on this feature. What a waste of time - the only comprehensible (and non-indecent) answer I got went along the lines of "Um, er, um, they're those smelly things you light, aren't they?" Useless. Vowing to get a better class of source, I made my excuses and left. The research was all up to me. Ahem. So where are we? Well, what with it being Christmas (the 21st time we've mentioned it this issue) and everything, we thought you'd be wondering what to ask good old Santa for this year. Well, how about a joystick? They really do make rather lovely little presents - not too extortionately priced (usually), made of spiffy red and black plastic (almost always) and just a nice size to wrap up too! The only problem is there are so many to choose from. Decisions, decisions. I hate 'em (and I'm sure you do too), so being incredibly kind-hearted souls we thought we'd save you the trouble of traipsing round all the stores. Now there's no need to work yourself into a hair-tearing ninny because you can't decide what to get, because we've done all the deciding for you. All you have to do is settle down, get yourself comfy and read on. (Hurrah!). COMPETITION PRO 5000 BLACK (£14.95). COMPETITION PRO PHANTOM (£14.95). COMPETITION PRO GOAL (£14.95). COMPETITION PRO 5000 CLEAR (£15.95). COMPETITION PRO 5000 EXTRA, RED GLOW AND GREEN GLOW (£17.50) The Competition Pro 5000 is the one that we generally use in the office. It's a good medium sort of size and simple in design - a car gear lever-like shaft with a knob on the top, and two big fire buttons on the base, all finished in ubiquitous red and black. Some may think it looks a bit old-fashioned, but I like it - there's no fuss and pretension here. It's been around a while (eight years or so) and is still popular, probably because it's so durable (the shaft's steel-plated, you see). Seeing as it's the one that's almost always plugged into our office Speccy it's been the standard I've been judging the others by. All versions of the stick come with microswitches on the fire buttons and a two-year guarantee, no suckers though (so desktop work isn't too hot) but the more expensive ones get autofire and slow motion features. It's easy to get to grips with and a good shape to hold but (but! But!) one problem - the stick's too stiff for me and doesn't waggle enough. They loosen up with age apparently (and tend to be fairly unbreakable) so perhaps that's worth putting up with however. Of course, if you're bored of black and red (and if you're not now, you will be by the end of this feature) you can get the same basic design finished in different ways. The Phantom is a ghostly white ('startling', according to the packaging), with a black handle and fire buttons (very stylish), while the World Cup series comes in ten different colour combinations for different teams. We've got the England one (a white body with red buttons and stick) but more exciting is Brazil - green and yellow. Ideal for Kick Off II! What else? Well, the Clear is, as you might expect, clear (so you can see all the wires and nice little gold bits inside) while the 'Glow Style' Extras are a sort of transparent luminous acid green or pink. Nice and bright, but really worth the extra three quid!? (I think not.) KONIX SPEEDKING AUTOFIRE (£10.99) Just in case you didn't know (and wanted to), the Speedking was "the world's first high performance joystick" (whatever that means). It's another small hand-held thing, but of an earlier (and cheaper) design than the Navigator. Small and actually really comfortable to hold (though it didn't look as if it would be) it's meant to nestle in the palm of your left hand with your index finger resting on the fire button and the other hand manipulating the little joystick. I can see this one would be a very personal taste - some people around here hate it - so I can't really recommend it so much as say it'd be worth checking out yourself. Useless for left handers of course though because of the odd asymmetrical shape, and quite sweaty and liable to make your hand ache. By the way, it comes with a year's guarantee and a promise to cope with enthusiasm, which sounds promising. LINDA'S PICK OF THE STICKS So there you have it. After much debate and deliberation in the office (and a fair amount of arguing) we've managed to narrow it down to the top three. (Or at least, I have.) Here we go... 1) POWERPLAY CRUISER (in black) A nice shape, well-built, a good price and oh-so-sexy in black. A bit of a winner all-round really. 2) KONIX NAVIGATOR Quite well-built, small and futuristic-looking, and ideal for when you haven't a table to lean on (or don't want to anyway). Quite expensive for what it is though. 3) = COMPO PRO 5000 Super-sturdy and quite accurate - worth the high(ish) price. 3) = CHEETAH 125+ Accurate and comfortable, if a bit cheap looking in the plastic casing stakes. Very good value though. Now all you need to do is a) ring the one you want, b) leave this issue innocently lying around the house (open at these pages of course) and c) hope that someone with a bit of money takes the hint! Merry Christmas, everybody!

Clockwise from top left: Quickjoy Junior, Quickjoy Jetfighter, Cheetah Exterminator and the Quickjoy Supercharger.

Clockwise from top left: Tac 50, Command Control, Blue Powerplay Cruiser and the Black Powerplay Cruiser.

Left: Cheetah Star Probe. Centre: Cheetah 125+. Right: Cheetah Mach 1.

Left: Competition Pro 5000 Clear. Centre: Competition Pro 5000 Red Glow. Right: Competition Pro 5000 Green Glow.

Left: Konix Speedking. Centre: Konix Megablaster. Right: Konix Navigator.

Powerplay Crystal Standard

Star Cursor - Professional Computer Joystick: Centre.

Crash

Response 5/5

Feel 4/5

Look 4/5

Overall 4/5

Nick Roberts 4/5

IT'S A STICK-UP Whatever happened to the days of all joysticks being a small base with a stick in the middle and a fire button that never worked? Today they look more like something from the control panel of an F-16 and get bigger and sillier all the while. Nick Roberts and Mark Caswell delve into the CRASH joystick bin to discover whether the joystick really is a gamesplayer's best friend... QUICKJOY III Spectravideo £10.95 MARK: I'm not fond of Quickshot joysticks. I owned a Quickshot II many moons ago and that busted within a couple of months. This looks a first glance just like it, but its trendy red body sets it out from the crowd. Again two buttons are present and each gives a solid click with each depression, though one problem is the uncomfortable hand grip. With a fairly long shaft the Quickjoy III works best on a table top, but with my shovel-sized hands I found holding the stick quite easy. A relatively cheap stick that should be given serious consideration. Pro 9000 Euromax £14.95 NICK: This joystick has a classic design that has been copied so many times. The rectangular based with its two fire buttons on the end is comfortable to use both on a table and in the hand. The handle is quite short and has a ball at the top. The two fire buttons are not too good though as they're not microswitched and this lets the stick down. Not bad. QUICKJOY JET FIGHTER Spectravideo £14.95 MARK: Sadly the Jet Fighter costs too much for what it delivers. At first glance the stick is so impressive with its moulded shaft and very solid looking base. But the major problem here is the length of the travel: you have to move the stick so far to get a response that quick movements are near impossible! Diagonals are as elusive, though the fire buttons again answer with a responsive click when pressed. Steer well clear of this one: to quote The Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy - it looks like a fish, it moves like a fish, but steers like a cow! QUICKJOY V - SUPERBOARD Spectravideo £19.95 MARK: It looks like this stick contains everything but the kitchen sink!! With six fire buttons (four on the base, two on the shaft), top or base fire button selector and a digital timer (what for, I've no idea) it's a big mutha! On the table is the only practical way to use the Superboard. Travel is fairly short and thus responsive. A tough stick that should up to punishment pretty well, but twenty quid is serious dosh. WICO COMMAND CONTROL Suncom £24.99 NICK: The Command Control has a classic joystick design - a sturdy base with a long stick coming from the centre and fire buttons on both the base and the top of the stick. Unfortunately the size and shape of the base make it very uncomfortable to hold in your hand. A good feature is the inclusion of three interchangeable grips that slide onto the stick to suit all gamesplayers. There are some bad faults though. The grips do not come far enough down the stick, thus leaving a gap at the bottom. This can easily pinch a chunk our of your hand while you're playing, making the baddy who's torturing you on screen seem more realistic! The top fire button is also annoying as it needs a hard push to make it work. SURESHOT COMMAND MODULE Sonmax £17.95 MARK: If you want to know what big means, you should see the Command Module! With two large microswitched buttons you don't need to move your hand far to fire that laser, though I'm not overly fond of the gaudy sticker on the base. Stick travel is short making the Command Module very responsive, and so are the microswitched fire buttons. I'd advise you to wear sunglasses when using this joystick (due to the sticker) but it's a good all rounder. TURBO PEDAL Euromax £24.95 NICK: You've got to be joking! This is so rubbish I couldn't stand using it for more than one game! You put your foot down on the pedal and all you hear is a bang - the sound of the plastic pedal against the plastic base. Eventually you do get some response from it (after a few more bangs). I found that my feet and legs began to ache soon after starting to use the Turbo Pedal, making playing a long racing game an agonising experience. A few suckers on the base wouldn't have gone amiss as the thing keeps sliding away from your foot! ZIPSTICK SUPER PRO Sonmax £13.95 Standard Autofire £14.95 MARK: I'm afraid I'm a bit biased towards this stick, I've owned one of these for four years or so and it's still going strong! The sleek black shape and trendy yellow fire buttons and collar look good, and the stick itself feels 'worn in' even when first used. Button pushes and stick movement are rewarded by solid clicks, and both pixel perfect and wild waggling movements are easily achieved. Check the Super Pro out for yourself, I reckon this and the Cruiser are the two best sticks around. THE ARCADE Euromax £17.95 Standard Turbo £19.95 NICK: With a triangular base, a fire button on the end and a short handle this joystick is very comfortable to use. Euromax claim it's been the best selling joystick for nine years. The turbo version of the stick comes with an autofire and a Pro 9000 type handle to support a fire button. The fire buttons are not too hot though. Using a single leaf switch they need a bit of prodding to get then to work. ULTIMATE RAPID FIRE Euromax £22.95 NICK: This is one BIG joystick! The Ultimate Rapid Fire is probably the closes you're going to get to an arcade stick with its large base and two fire buttons either side the short ball handle. A dial-a-speed rapid fire button sits on the top of the base and can be turned to vary the speed of fire or to turn it off. With this stick being the size it is you can easily rest it on your lap to pay a game but there are also suction cups on the base to secure it to a table top. This is definitely the best of the big sticks and a personal favourite. COMPETITION PRO Dynamics £14.95 MARK: The Competition Pro is another distinctive stick with its red shaft and fire button. The ball shaped handle is comfortable to hold, though table top use is hampered by the lack of suckered feet. The medium travel of the stick makes it responsive, but I find the use of leaf-switches in the fire buttons very silly. Overall a rugged, comfortable stick that should be considered. CRUISER Powerplay £12.99 MARK: Now here's my idea of a perfect stick: the comfortable rounded handle along with the sensibly placed microswitched fire button make this a definite winner. It comes in several colours: blue, black, clear and an eye warping multi-coloured best. All have the innovative "pull and twist" collar ring that adjusts the stick tension. Like the Super Pro the Cruiser's ruggedness is legendary - we CRASH louts have been abusing Cruiser sticks for years without complaint. Unreservedly recommended. QUICKJOY JUNIOR Spectravideo £5.95 MARK: This is a cheap stick, and unfortunately it shows. The fire buttons are placed sensibly enough on the base and under the index finger, but sadly a lot of bashing is needed to gain response. The stick is small so young hands will find it easy to hold, and table top players are well catered for with four strong suckers. With such a short 'stick', response is fairly good, I found diagonals easy to obtain and the Junior is almost silent when the stick is moved (no metal grinding on metal sounds here, matey!) At six quid the Quickjoy Junior is okay as a first buy, but I'd personally save my pennies. SINCLAIR STICK Amstrad Free With Speccy NICK: This is one of the easiest joysticks to break! I've lost count of how many I've destroyed over the years! It responds quite well, although you feel as if you're hitting against plastic all the time instead of a nice micro switch. The main problem is the shape of the base. The rectangular box design has rounded-off corners but can still be very painful if you lean on them. Supplied with all +2, +2A and +3 computers there can't be many people haven't seen one of these sticks. Not the best in the galaxy, but how can you complain when it's free? CHALLENGER REMOTE CONTROL Euromax £29.95 MARK: Let's face it, remote control sticks are a very expensive gimmicks that serve little purpose. Although this one works pretty well there seems to be a slight delay between you pressing the button and on-screen response. The stick is a rather natty grey colour with two fire buttons both on the shaft, though the handle isn't moulded and I found that prolonged use cramped my hand. There are plenty of cheaper 'normal' sticks on the market, and in my opinion the Challenger will only be bought by people interested in gimmicks. SPEEDKING Konix £9.99 Standard £10.99 Autofire NICK: The Speedking is one of the better joysticks when it come to the left/right waggle. You can get very high speeds on sports games using it. The only problem is that it creates a giant strain on the hands and arms. You can't use it vigorously for long, you have to take a break. For normal use the hand moulded stick sits comfortably in your left palm and the position of the fire button on the right is perfect. To my knowledge the Speedking is only available n a version for right handed players, cutting out a large segment of the joystick market. Overall a good stick but playing Daley's Olympic Challenge can be hell! WICO ERGOSTICK Suncom £18.99 NICK: This is a real winner with me. It's similar in size, shape and design to the Konix Speedking but has one important difference: instead of being made from hard plastic, the Ergostick has a rubber covering which makes it much easier on your hands. The rubber also stops the stick slipping and sliding about. The only problem is a knobbly bit on the end, it really begins to hurt after a long playing session! An excellent joystick I would recommend to all byte bandits out there! NAVIGATOR Konix £14.99 MARK: Beam me up Scotty! The Navigator is somewhat akin to a Star Trek phaser. Due to the handle, table top use is impossible (or at least improbable), and prolonged use can lead to hand cramping. The stick is physically very short (no more than an inch or so high) so people with big hands will find holding the handle very difficult. Response is fairly good due to the short travel, but I must say this is none of my least favourite sticks. Right, there you have it: the professionals' view of the joystick world. Choose your stick carefully - it can make or break your Speccy gaming fun!

Your Sinclair

David Wilson

Jackie Ryan

Matt Bielby

CHEETAH 125+ £8.99 Your Sinclair Best Buy A fairly large, black plastic joystick modelled firmly along aircraft lines. It's nicely designed, with a comfortable handgrip, four well-placed fire buttons, autofire, twin leads (black for 48/128K with suitable interface, grey for +2 and +3) and even a non-slip effect around the base for extra grip. Unfortunately, this is slightly marred by the overall plasticy feel of the thing. That having been said, it proved to be one of the nicest to use and good value to boot! It comes with a 12 month warranty too so you should be okay. Recommended. Jackie: Sticks well to the desk, but the shaft is a bit wibbly and loose. I like the grip effect and it's got loads of lovely fire buttons all over the place which means you can swop which ones you use and rest your hand. David: Very light on the controls and quite responsive. Comes off the desk quite easily though because the base is a bit narrow. I'm slightly scared of the durability - it feels quite fragile. Matt: I like the light touch - it's a lot less tiring if you're having a long session with a game. Very precise for shoot 'em ups, but not easy to waggle (none of these aircraft-style ones are). I found it stuck to the table okay, but it's got a very small base compared to how tall it is, so I could see a problem with leverage (ie it might pull off). I like it a lot, it's excellent value, but I'm concerned about how long it would last. QUICKJOY V SUPERBOARD £19.95 Ber-limey! Now this ain't just a joystick, it's an, erm, goodness knows what it is! It's gigantic for a start with a whopping base absolutely loaded up with gimmicks. In fact, all those buttons and switches only amount to an autofire option (with two speeds for the settings - the first one too slow to be of any use) and a stopwatch! What a disappointment. There's another massive things about it, of course. That's right - the price! David: Now this is weird. I dunno, I like the feel of this stick - not too light like the Cheetah ones, but not too heavy either. The autofire doesn't seem to work... Oops, yes it does, I was just doing it wrong! (What a clot. Ed) Now let's try holding in my hand - lummey, it'd be easier holding a cello! But I suppose it's not designed for that, so it's a bit unfair to criticise. Autofire slow is a dead loss - you'd only ever use autofire fast so it's a waste of time. I'd never get one - it's just ridiculous! Jackie: What do all these buttons do? (Nothing really. Ed) The point of having lots of fire buttons is that when your fingers get tired you can swop hands and use different ones, but here you can't because you have to choose which ones will be functional before you start playing! If you choose the ones on the stick, none of the others will function! Otherwise response is slow - and it pulls off the desk easily. Quite comfortable though. Matt: It looks good but basically it's crap. It's ludicrously big, won't stay stuck to the desk and most of the gimmicks are useless. Why do you have to use a separate button to switch between the controls at the top of the stick and the ones at the bottom? And, as for the timer, well, have I boiled an egg yet? QUICKJOY 2 £8.95 Another black and red job trying to look as much like part of an F-16 as possible. The Quickjoy 2 has two fire buttons mounted at the top of the stick (none on the base) and an autofire option. Reasonably priced, but a very average stick. Jackie: Blimey! Steering's not very good! For some reason when I fire (She was playing Dragon Spirit, a vertically scrolling shoot 'em up when she wrote this. Ed) the dragon goes left automatically! Fire again and it goes left a bit more! Totally unplayable. When I try to go forward I go left too! Otherwise, it sits firmly on the desk and is comfortable to hold - I quite like it. I can only assume this is a faulty stick. Matt: Not too bad to hold or have on the desk (sticks quite well) but the fact this one made the dragon go left all the time made it impossible to assess. I can only hope it isn't because the build quality is diabolical. David: Very stiff trigger. Not very responsive - the shaft doesn't seem to move too well, even if it isn't doing that going left business. Nicer grip than the Superboard thing though. QUICKJOY 2 TURBO £10.95 Basically the same stick as the Quick joy 2, but this time with a stylish red base. The difference seems to be that this model operates with microswitches. Still, where Quickjoy does well is in getting the balance between stiffness and accuracy right. Despite the fact that the casing seems to be the same as the Quickjoy 2, this stick has a nice feel. Jackie: This one goes forward and to the right when you push forward! What's going on?? I quite liked this at first but after a while my trigger finger got a bit hurt. I found the fire button on top of the stick hard to use. Generally slow response. David: Unusually for Quickjoy this one feels really light and the fire buttons aren't as stiff as the normal Quickjoy 2. The grip on it isn't too bad either - for some reason it feels a lot better than the normal 2, though it looks just the same. A good, basic stick, and the best of the Quickjoys. Matt: Feels a bit vague all round, and is ALMOST comfortable, but not quite - there isn't enough space given to your little finger. Probably my favourite of the Quickjoys though. QUICKJOY 3 SUPERCHARGER £12.99 A very swoopy, futuristic-looking joystick moulded in black and red. This one boasts exactly the same features as the Quickjoy 2 Turbo (auto fire, two fire buttons, 'ergonomic design', six microswitches and whatnot) so it's hard to see the point, especially when the handgrip proves to be far from comfortable. At £12.95 it's hard to see the appeal. Jackie: It's a bit too chunky for me. I reach the trigger or fire buttons on the top - the shaft is just too big and fat. It's not very good at staying on the desk - the suckers slip. This is the third Quickjoy that's got some funny steering quirk. One this one when I pull backwards the dragon starts going left! (She's still playing Dragon Spirit. Ed) What's going on? Is it something to do with the Amstrad CPC 464 option-switch?? David: This is a bit of a bulky one. All the people at Quickjoy must have very big hands! It makes a horrible crunch sound when I move it - I don't think this'll have a very long life expectancy. I think the Quickjoys have the balance between lightness and resistance just right, but it's too fat for my hands as well. Matt: Nope, far too fat. When I pull to the left or right the base of my hand hits the casing, and the fire buttons at the top aren't too easy to use either. I think David's right about the weighting though - the shaft inside feels good but the casing is terrible. KONIX MEGABLASTER £8.99 A conventionally designed but tiny little stick from Konix, featuring microswitch precision at quite a low price. It has a medium sized shaft with a fear leveer-like knob at the top, two fire buttons on the base and, erm, that's it... David: Not really a desktop stick since it won't stick down, but I found it a bit awkward for hand use because it has little legs underneath that get in the way. Cheap and well built, but I don't really like it. Jackie: Stick easily controlled with fingertips, but stiff fire buttons and it won't stay on the table (no suckers). Response of stick too slow. Easy to hold in either hand, but, again, it's all a bit stiff. Matt: Easy to hold in either hand, but a bit too small all round I felt. Could do without the strange nobbles moulded into the base for no particular reason which make it really weird to hold. I didn't like the fire buttons much either. POWERPLAY CRUISER Black, Blue, Multi-coloured: £9.99 Clear (with autofire): £12.99 Your Sinclair Best Buy This one's been around for ages, and is now in a choice of blue, natty black, clear and even multi-coloured models. The coloured one is sort of pastel green with a pink shaft, blue base and yellow buttons! All models have four good suckers spread wide apart on the bottom so it sticks to the desk very well, but you can hold it in your hand if you prefer quite easily. One of the stick's main selling points is that you can adjust the tension of the shaft to one of three degrees of tightness. You can set it to extra sensitivity, normal use or firm control (for waggling). The ease with which you can do this seemed to vary from stick to stick, but it's a useful feature. Recommended. Matt: I'm amazed at how much I like this one. It's very old fashioned looking - even ugly - but it seems quite durable and does everything at least passably well. It's fairly precise for shoot 'em ups, it's possible to get a good waggle rhythm going and you can hold it for long periods without getting too uncomfortable. It sticks well to the desk too. David: Actually, the reason it plays well when it's stuck to the desk is because of the large, flat base - it means the suckers are spread well apart for more grip. It's a dead loss to hold though - it's too big. having said that I like the Cruiser, even though it looks so horrible. Jackie: It's good for shoot 'em ups because it sticks well to the desk, you can change hands easily when you're tired and the actual stick responds well. The green one is lovely and I'd have it as pride of place in my bedroom. Not so much a joystick, more a work of art(!). QUICKSHIT WHIZZMASTER GAME CONTROLLER £11.95 Excluding the Superboard, this was the only novelty stick we could get hold of. In fact it's quite a serious proposition. Basically, it's small, grey and flat, like a bloated version of the joypads you find attached to Japanese games consoles, but offering you a number of control options. For a start you can use it like a joypad, manipulating direction pad with your left hand thumb while you jab fire with your right. This may sound weird, but once you get used to it it can give more control than an ordinary stick. Your other two options involve screwing short sticks of varying sizes into the pad - a tiny stumpy one for the thumb only (which we promptly lost) and a large (but still quite small) stick for fingertip manipulation. You also have the option of holding it or sticking it firmly to the desk, so at the very least you'd have hours of fun going through the various permutations. Comes with autofire and a one year warranty. David: I was quite excited to see this because I like the keypad on the PC Engine, but unfortunately it's a bit bulky to grip. Hold it with your right hand and it wibbles about all over. The little plug-in joystick is useless. THis is the opposite extreme of a massive stick and a tiny base - a big base with a miniature stick and the fire button too far over on the other side. Matt: This is quite hopeless when it's stuck to the desk, or with either of the pathetic little stick things in place, but holding it in both hands like a Nintendo keypad is a different story. It's a bit too bulky for that but I really like pad controls and this is the only one available for the Speccy. These things take some getting used to but for most games I think they're in fact better than joysticks. Jackie: I totally disagree. if it's on the desk you have have the joystick on or your finger slips all over the place. With the autofire button on, the joystick in and the thing stuck firmly to the desk I like it. I don't like the pad - it gets too slippy and the but where a stick screws in hurts your thumb, but with the joystick it's very light and easy to control. You need autofire though because the fire buttons are too far from the stick. KONIX SPEEDKING Standard: £11.99 Autofire: £12.99 This unusual little one's been around for ages but some people still can't seem to work out how to hold it! in fact, nestling in the palm of the left hand with your index finger on the fire button underneath and your right hand operating the stick itself, you've got a neat (if sweaty) little device. Matt: There's only really one way to hold it so you can't swop from hand to hand when you're getting tired. I quite like it, but the Navigator is a loot more comfortable for prolonged playing and worth considering splashing out the extra dosh for if you're a firm hand-held fan. Jackie: The shaft's easy to move and you can change direction well, but because of the big chunky grip and awkwardly positioned fire button it makes your hand really ache. The design makes it impossible to change to the other hand, so it's no good at all for left handers. CHEETAH CHALLENGER £4.99 A small, conventionally styled bottom of the range model from Cheetah, with one fire button on the base and another on the top of the shaft. For all that it's a new design we thought it looked very plasticy and old fashioned. You can't carp though when it's only £4.99 - ludicrously cheap compared to some other sticks, and it does come with a one year warranty. Jackie: Urgh! It's like something you'd buy off a market stall! It sticks well to the desk but the fire buttons are awkwardly placed and a bit stiff for a weak wibbly female like me. Seems quite strong though, and 'the price is right' after all. David: It's not the Cheetah Challenger, it's the Cheetah Crap! It sounds awful, it looks awful, it won't go a long way. Hmm. It's basically a desk top job, but it doesn't stick as well as the Cruiser. The fire buttons are weird - there;'s one on the top instead of a nice trigger - and it's terrible to hand-hold. Cheap though. Matt: Sticks well to the desk, but looks and feels horrible. The fire buttons are tacky and clicky, and the shaft feels stiff and unresponsive. A very awkward shape to hold. If this were a bit less tacky and a bit more comfortable it'd be a Best Buy. CHEETAH STAR ROBE £14.99 Another black, aeroplane-style stick with four red fire buttons and an autofire facility. It comes with a one year warranty and a dual head lead like all the bigger Cheetah sticks, but again feels a bit plasticy in construction. Try as we might though, we can't see how they can justify the fact that it's more costly than the (superior) 125+ Jackie: Another one of the Cheetahs that looks quite cheap. Fire buttons are well placed, apart from the trigger one that makes my finger ache, and the one at the top's a bit odd as well. Hmm. Perhaps they're not so well placed after all. It looks like it will split apart any second. It sticks decently to the desk and directional steering is quite good with very light controls again, but it's too big to hand-hold. Matt: The look quite big and macho but I wonder about the durability of these Cheetah ones - the sticker's already peeling off and I've only just taken it out of the box! It's got quite a nice light feel again, and the fire buttons are good, except for the trigger which I found a bit too curved to be comfortable for my finger. David: Not a bad stick, but not one I'd choose myself. I'm a bit heavy handed so I like something fairly sturdy. This is a bit too big and light for me. CHEETAH MACH 1 £10.99 Blimey! Another joystick from Cheetah moulded in black and red with a metal shaft, autofire, four microswitch fire buttons and a one year warranty. Just like the 125+ and the Star Probe in fact! In general, the Cheetahs have very light controls, well placed fire buttons and feel like they might be very strong inside but they're let down by cheap outer casings. And this one's no exception! Why do they make so many similar sticks? Jackie: Sits firmly on the desk, but the shaft slopes forward which is a bit disorientating. Pulling back and left and right is fine, but when you push forward it seems to go a long way before you get any effect which is weird. Fire buttons well placed for the right hand, but less so for the left. Matt: Hmm. Sticks down quite well, and the autofire is good, but the placement of the other fire buttons is a bit weird. The normally-quite-useful trigger one is so small as to be almost useless! Good for flight sims though 'cos it's like a real aeroplane stick. David A very popular stick - it's not too expensive and there are always loads for sale in input Output so lots of people have got them. To use the top fire button you have to take your thumb off the stick which loosens your grip, and the trigger one is far too small. A bit wide to hold, but it's light so it doesn't work too badly. POWERPLAY CRYSTAL STANDARD £14.99 Autofire: £16.99 A stylish transparent microswitched joystick with a large clear base and neat red handle. We tried the basic Crystal model, but it also comes in autofire form and in solid colours (red or green) for a couple of pounds less. It's probably the best looking of the clear sticks. Jackie: It looks like my telephone! (Jack's got a transparent telephone at home, fact fans. Ed) The stick's a bit wibbly and loose on the base, the switches are quite stiff but it moves well. A bit small though and your fingers get tired after a while. Matt: It looks really nice but I think the grippy handle is too small (and I don't even have very big hands)! The fire buttons feel funny to me too - they're stiff and tend to stick a bit after a while. All in all a good looking device, but to me it looks better than it plays and it's quite expensive. David: This is weird. The way I hold it my thumb is on the fire button but the base of my hand gets in the way of the full joystick movement. I think it's a bit of a dodgy design - at least it isn't comfortable for the way I like to use a stick. I think it might break quite easily too. COMPETITION PRO 5000 Black: £14.95 Clear: £15.95 Extra Clear with Autofire: £16.49 These three Competition Pros are basically the same stick, the Extra being a souped-up version of the standard thing with rapid fire and slow motion features. Each has a steel shaft with a large car-like gear knob on the top and two large microswitched fire buttons on the base. Although it can be used as a desk-mounted stick it lacks suckers, so it's probably best to hold it in your lap. For once it's a stick that feels as sturdy as it says it is on the packet. Good but pricey. David: This is the one I've always played with at home, so I'm a bit biased but I find it very accurate and it has lasted for five years no trouble. My sister got a Quickshot 2 at the same time as me and it broke ages ago. What else can I say - it's a bit old fashioned, expensive and feels stiff when you first buy one, but I wouldn't play R-Type on any other joystick. Jackie: This is David's favourite?? You can't have it on the desk 'cos there are no suckers and the shaft's too stiff to move easily. It's alright to hold with my right hand, but I can't grip it properly with my left and there's a big knob on the top that I don't know what to do with. Matt: I find it a bit stiff, but David assures me it loosens up with age. It's definitely best hand-held - useless on a desk 'cos there are no suckers - and it feels like perhaps the most solid stick here. KONIX NAVIGATOR £14.99 A rather oddly shaped joystick to be held in the hand - some people likened it to a Star Trek phaser, others to a stumpy racing yacht complete with keel! Ideal for those without a desk to lean on or who simply like to sit away from the screen. The grip does have a tendency to get a bit wet if a) you're a big fan of waggling games or b) you suffer from sweaty hands. Best of the sticks designed for hand use only, but ridiculously expensive for what it is. Matt: This is one of my personal favourites because I like to hold a stick in my hand away from the desk and most of the larger ones are a bit awkward. We've had one in the office for ages and it's not broken yet! Definitely an advance over the Speedking which I was never quite sure how to hold, but isn't it a bit expensive for what it is? David: it's obviously designed for you to hold in your hand (very tightly) but I find it's too bulky for that and it makes my mitts ache. The shaft's so small you're using your fingertips all the time. Jackie: I really like it. It's small, light and you don't have to sit close to the screen to use it. Ideal if you've got small hands.

Left to right: Cheetah Mach 1, Cheetah Challenger, Competition Pro 5000, Konix Megablaster, Quickshot Whizzmaster.

Left to right: Cheetah Star Probe, Powerplay Crystal Standard, Quickjoy II, Cheetah 125+, Quickjoy III Supercharger.

Left to right: Competition Pro Extra, Quickjoy V Superboard, Quickjoy II Turbo.

Left to right: Powerplay Cruiser (multi-coloured), Konix Navigator, Konix Speedking, Cruiser (clear), Cruiser (black).

So there we have it. It's nice to be able to say that this year's crop of joysticks all meet a decent basic standard - so even if your granny sets out to buy you one unsupervised she's going to find it pretty difficult to come back with something totally unusable. We've picked out a couple of Best Buys - sticks which offer a good compromise of high performance but low price - but choosing a joystick is such a personal thing we suggest you at least try to hold a few before you buy just to see which suits your hand shape and playing style. DAVID'S TOP THREE 1) Cheetah 125+ Because I found it very precise, comfortable to hold and well priced. 2) Competition Pro Because it's so durable - I've put it through a lot and it always comes out smiling. 3) Powerplay Cruiser I like a hand-held stick, but if you have to have it stuck to the desk this works well because it's got such a wide base. JACKIE'S TOP THREE 1) Navigator Best of the bunch as far as I'm concerned - it's the most comfortable to hold 2) Multicoloured Cruiser 'Cos I like a stick that isn't boring black and red and it's a damn good all-round joystick. = 3) Cheetah 125+ A good standard stick = 3) QuickShot Whizzmaster Game Controller A neat idea, but only as a joystick - it doesn't work for me as a keypad at all. MATT'S TOP THREE 1) Powerplay Cruiser Before we started I'd never have believed you if you'd said I'd end up liking this old warhorse best. However it does everything well, it's sturdy and it's cheap Best buy, easily. 2) Cheetah 125+ Accurate and comfortable, this was my favourite of the aeroplane-style sticks despite the dodgy plastic casing. Cheap too. = 3) Competition Pro Extra = 3) Navigator Both a bit expensive, but the Navigator is so comfortable and the Comp Pro so sturdy you can't ignore them.

Your Sinclair

Precision 4/5

Strength 4/5

Manouevrability 3/5

Value For Money 4/5

Overall Performance 4/5

Howard King

Miles Tudor

Steven Brewer

THE JOY OF STICKS We've waggled our way through the joystick jungle to bring you the latest on the firepower of ten top joysticks. If you're a real games addict you'll know how important a good joystick is. Games have moved on a bit since Pacman and Space Invaders where all you had to do was move left and right and blast the fire button every now and again. Then you could use the same joystick for all the seven games on the market. Nowadays, however, computer games are much more demanding and varied - shoot 'em ups, beat 'em ups, fly 'em ups, waggle 'em ups, steer 'em ups and even fry 'em ups - they all need differing degrees of precision, manoeuvrability and strength. Which is why you need a damn good joystick for the job - and there are plenty to choose from. So there's no excuse for a bad game player to blame his tools! But which joystick is best for the games you play? Which joystick do you choose? There are thousands. And you've only got twenty quid. Well, it just so happens that we've got a run-down on 10 of the most popular sticks on the market - read on to find out which one covers your every need. THE GAMES A joystick's performance varies considerably from game to game. The precise movements needed in a martial arts game become redundant in an out and out waggle 'em up. And then, the strength and slackness of one stick might not help in a steering game where full control and manoeuvrability is necessary. So, in order to test the joysticks fully, we chose three different titles to strain those sticks to the limit. Target Renegade tests for precision, Daley Thompson's Olympic Challenge for strength and Skate Crazy for manoeuvrability. And to make the contest even harder we asked three hot gamesplayers to give us their opinions on which sticks they preferred. TARGET RENEGADE A beefy beat 'em up. All that punching and kicking and butting requires a stick with easy access to diagonals and fire buttons, plus the ability to move slightly and quickly in any direction. SKATE CRAZY A loose and bouncy roller skate game, needing a combination of ease-of-movement and well positioned fire buttons for that sudden leap. A stick for this game will also need a strong shaft to resist those frantic circular steering motions. DALEY THOMPSON'S OLYMPIC CHALLENGE The meanest, the baddest and the toughest waggle 'em up in existence. The constant waggling environment requires a stick with excellent strength and good speed, coupled with a sturdy desk hold and well contoured grip. THE JURY Yes, solemn of face, tough of opinion, stingy of money, and ravenous of hunger, here are the three jury members, unswayable by money (or cheeseburger), ready to deliver their verdicts on the guilty sharp sticks. STEVEN BREWER Age: 16 Sex: Male Dist Features: Inane grin Computers: Speccy, QL Fave Rave: Gauntlet Hobbies: Grinning inanely, being enthusiastic about nothing Fave Music: U2 MILES TUDOR Age: 16 Sex: Twice a... (Snip. Ed) Dist Features: Bloodshot, knackered eyes Computers: I ain't got one, but if anybody's offerin'? Fave Rave: Target Renegade Hobbies: Sheep-spotting, train-spotting, spot-picking Fave Music: Prince HOWARD KING Age: 16 Sex: Male Dist Features: 'boyish good looks' Spluuter! Computers: Speccy 48K Fave Rave: Robin O' the Wood Hobbies: Boasting about his handicap (gold), kicking the dog 'bout a bit' Fave Music: Queen SPECTRAVIDEO QUICKSHOT 2 The Quickshot 2 is the father of most joysticks today, but its age does not show in its design. It has a square base, and a wide, sharply contoured handle as well as three fire buttons and an auto fire switch. It's four suckers stick relentlessly to any surface. The shaft is long and loose, which provides a fairly slowish response. The diagonals are difficult to locate in a hurry and it can't handle double movements (such as flying kicks) too well. It excels waggle-wise and the auto-fire switch is easily flicked on by the wrist. But despite all these faults, it works remarkably well in all games. Steve: 'Its slackness click irritated the hell out of my moody sister.' Miles: 'One old timer that's still up there with the new ones.' Howard: 'Ooh I'm a sucker for the suckers!' A little slow, a little temperamental, a little noisy - but what do you expect from a four year old joystick? Recommended. SUNCOM TAC 5 Now here's a very striking joystick - its beige and grey colouring is very chic, good-looking and elegant. The bulky square base sits on four studs and its size makes it unmoveably solid on a desk top even during savage waggling. There are three fire buttons. The stick moves with a very distinctive microswitch click that would annoy your parents and dogs. Movement is pretty good. The diagonals are excellent and there when you want them, although the stick does twist disconcertingly when you move it. It shines in all four departments but the granulated grip is a little too soft. Steve: 'I felt in full control when using this one. Great stuff.' Miles: 'Though it looks very "Habitat" I didn't find it very responsive.' Howard: 'I sweated so much the red directional marks rubbed off and I thought id cut myself!' Extremely attractive number with solid build, good diagonals and response. Annoying microswitch click, impotent fire button positioning and rub-off-when-wet paint let it down a little. Recommended. CHEETAH 125+3 The design of this joystick is very authentic, attractive and similar to the Quickshot 2. The base is robust and granulated for extra grip. It has four fire buttons. The stick, however, looks very plasticy and the seams were bluntly evident. The wide grip and tight throw allow magnificent handling although its size tends to make delicate or slight movements tricky. It responds quickly and smoothly especially in abrupt direction changes, despite the loud groans the stick emits under stress. Precision is perfect but in waggle-'em-ups, the stiffness of the stick prevents a good fast momentum. And it is simply perfect for games requiring manoeuvrability. Steve: 'The Cheetah 125+3 is the one for me - it's a beauty to handle!' Miles: 'I found this stick particularly useful in Skate Crazy which requires a lot of direction changes.' Howard: 'If only it would waggle better!' Outstanding all round joystick, authentically designed, furiously responsive, unbeatable steering but disappointing waggle-ratio. Recommended. POWERPLAY CRUISER The Cruiser is an instantly appealing and very attractive joystick, with its blue curved base, two-deep set white base buttons, and red standard stick. It rests solidly on four suckers on any desk top, but the curved design also suits the hand. The feature that really makes this joystick is the variable tension feature that allows you to select one of three degrees of tightness. The fire buttons are very well placed and click responsively. Diagonals are easy to find and direction changes are good. Adjusting the tension to number two helped in games requiring manoeuvrability, and as for waggling, number three seemed the best. The tightest tension (number one) worked best with Renegade. One of the less muscle-bound reviewers observed that the way you changed the tension (lifting then turning the stick) was quite difficult and a weak and feeble gamesplayer may find it a touch difficult. Steve: 'I'm a wimp so I found changing the tension awkward - I was so tired I couldn't play the game.' Miles: 'Not a bad little number for the all round gamesplayer. Worth, the money!' Howard: 'This is my top stick. It caters for everything and looks neat too!' Noisy but powerful joystick with unique variable tension option and multi-coloured "spaceship" look. Recommended. RAM DELTA The RAM Delia's design is very distinctive, futuristic and angular. The base is shaped like the front of a car while the shaft looks like a gear-stick. It's supported on three suckers placed at each corner, but holds just as well in the palm of your hand. Unfortunately it's shortness restricts precision, especially during hectic Renegade combat. Response is very polished and light, and the microswitches make the direction changes quick and substantial. While waggling, the small throw (the distance the stick moves in any direction) of the stick creates a good rhythm, but excess exertion leads to a sweaty slippery grip. All directional movements are springy, and the clicks of the switches are quiet and unobtrusive, yet loud enough to indicate when you had forced the joystick far enough. Steve: 'I liked the design but found handling a little awkward.' Miles: 'This one is definitely my favourite - I've never gripped such a nice stick!' Howard: 'Control is superb - and I loved those suckers!' Superb sculptured joystick, dedicated to those who like looks, body and character in their sticks. Recommended. EUROMAX PRO-ACE The Pro-Ace is a sturdy-based joystick with a long slender shaft and two fire buttons. The shaft is good and stiff but feels rather flimsy - as if it might break off at any moment. The lack of suckers and a firm base make it rock drunkenly on the desk during any frantic action. The fire buttons, however, are well placed and responsive. The throw is microscopic and renders waggling virtually useless. Described as emphatically pedestrian (What?? Ed) the Pro-ace steers quite well considering the limited throw, but the diagonals have to be forced and the shaft is too long for the field of Renegade movement. Steve: 'Not bad, not bad! I've used a better tool though!' Miles: 'Nice looking stick this - and it handles well too!' Howard: 'Cor this is rather good. I quite like it.' A stiff and flimsy affair, which rocks on the table and reacts very slowly. Steers well though. SUNCOM TAC 2 This small, square based joystick is the most solid on a desk top, and is compact, durable and quite rugged. It has two buttons The stick only moves slightly in each direction but triggers first-rate responses. However this light operation is let down by the overly (or underly) short shaft. The sensitivity is excellent and made both steering and diagonals a piece of cake. After a bout of waggling though, the handle became quite wet and one of the more sensitive reviewers suffered from a sore thumb after a heavy game of Renegade. Steve: 'This one was in a class of its own in playing Skate Crazy.' Miles: 'Not as good as the Suncom Tac 2 I'm afraid.' Howard: 'Tac is an apt name 'cos it's one of the tackiest objects I've seen.' Sturdy solid joystick, attractively metal-plated, is not so hot precision-wise but practically boiling in the steering field. KONIX SPEEDKING This unusually shaped joystick looks a little like a lost jigsaw piece and half a pelvis. It's very well designed for a hand held grip but so does not sit easily on the desk. The stick is a short red affair in arcade-machine stumpy style and is microswitched. It slides quickly into diagonal position and the small throw allows very fast direction change. But the same smallness restricts steering and makes the joystick feel disconnected in games like Skate Crazy where it only gives a fair degree of control. The smoothness of response is great for Renegade, and perfect waggle rhythm is a cinch to get going. The disparity of the design is difficult to get used to, and a sweaty session of waggling can make the stick very slippery. Steve: I just couldn't decide how to hold this one.' Miles: 'It looks quite natty and is a good all round joystick.' Howard: 'It's a bit small for my tastes.' Originally and economically designed, the Speedking is perfect for those who don't have a desk to lean on and don't sweat much while waggling. TERMINATOR Believe it or not this strange looking object really is a joystick. Shaped like a hand grenade (for the Rambo addicts?) this joystick is aimed more at the novelty and toy market rather than our serious 'executive' gamesplayer. The metallic fire button is the clip on the side, while the small Meccano stick juts out of the top. It sits well in your hand and is lighter than its explosive counterpart. As a joystick it's pretty useless, a nightmare to use and makes you want to go "aaarrghhh!". The fire button is awkwardly positioned and is easy to press unintentionally. The stumpy stick is awful for precision and all movements have to be shoved into direction, although the diagonals are easy to obtain. Obviously an excellent novelty and gimic but not very useful as a serious tool. Steve: 'The slippery stick is hideous and waggling is bleuuuch!' Miles: 'I really couldn't get to grips with this one.' Howard: 'I reckon you'd get arrested if you walked into a bank carrying this!' Excellent 'macho' gimic that looks exactly like a grenade with a piece of Meccano stuck in the top. Absolutely rubbish as a joystick though. VOLTMACE DELTA 3S The old fashioned prehistoric design makes the Volt mace Delta an instant turn off, but it's not as bad as it looks. Shaped like a door wedge, the Delta has three fire buttons and a small orbiting stick. It's quite awkward to hold and is happier on a desk top. The three red base buttons are too far away and tiny - rather like TV remote control buttons. The stick is also too small and weedy making small turns and movements virtually impossible - to go anywhere you have to exaggerate the movements. Changes in the direction and precision are easy because of the movable stick and the wide gap for movement, but the diagonals are spindly. Waggle-wise it performs surprisingly well and with the minimum cramp or restriction. Steve: 'I wish I could say this is a pleasure to use - but it isn't.' Miles: 'Urrggh! This one looks like a bar of Dairy Milk - shame you can't eat it!' Howard: 'If you like waggling, you'll like this!' Prehistoric design is not too attractive but it sits comfortably on your desk despite spindly diagonals and misplaced fire buttons. Comparatively outstanding at waggling. VERDICT It was a close thing with each reviewer snuggling up to their favourite sticks, and beating each other about the head with their not so favourite ones. But in the end the Cheetah 125+ scraped into first place, with the RAM Delta and Powerplay Cruiser coming second and third respectively, closely followed by the Konix Speedking and Quickshot 2. The overall positioning was: 1. CHEETAH 125+ 2. RAM Delta 3. POWERPLAY Cruiser 4. KONIX Speedking 5. SPECTRAV1DEO Quickshot 2 6. SUNCOM TAC 5 7. SUNCOM TAC 2 8. VOLTMACE Delta 3s 9. EUROMAX Pro-Ace 10. TERMINATOR Now for the votes on the best and worst buys. Here's what the reviewers had to say and they mean that most sincerely folks! STEVEN BEST - Cheetah 125+ "Magnificent handling... brilliant fire buttons... a real treat." WORST- Terminator "Aaarghhhhh... awful... my goldfish steers better than this." MILES BEST- RAM Delta 'Looked quite sexy... the knob was really nice... good and springy." WORST- Terminator "Bleuchhh!... Terrible... Looks too much like a hand grenade and 1 didn't know to hold it." HOWARD BEST - Powerplay Cruiser 'Fits well in the hand... stands out... good stuff and the stick variable tension - wow!" WORST - Terminator "Yicckkk!... a nightmare... it's bad, really, really bad." 1st Place Supplier: Cheetah Marketing Ltd, [redacted] Price: £12.99 Guarantee: 1 year Features: A C D E F G

FEATURES A- Suckers B - Studs C - Thumb Button D - Trigger Type Button E - Base Button F - Auto Fire G - +2/+3 Compatible H - Metal Shaft I - Miscroswitches

SCORES 1 - Eeek! 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Excellent

TOP TEN TIPS WHEN BUYING A STICK 1. Don't be taken in by sales blurb. Disregard phrases like "the greatest ever joystick " or "the most responsive on the market" plastered on the packaging. Stay in touch with the real world. 2. Consult a guide (ie, this one). 3. Decide beforehand how much you are prepared to pay. There are two sides to the market: budget (five to seven pounds) and the not so budget (ten to twenty pounds). 4. Keep in mind the type of games you'll be playing. If you're a shoot 'em up addict you'll want a stick with good manoeuvrability and a well-placed fire button: if you're a flight sim man you won't want a tiny effort. 5. Check for +2/+3 compatibility. More often than not, if a stick is compatible it will be supplied with two leads or an adaptor. Otherwise search around for a suitable interface. 6. When buying an interface, stick to names you know. 7. Search through mail order firms (like DATEL) for good prices and special offers. Often you can buy an interface and a joystick in a combined cheap package. 8. If possible, ask to test the joystick. Not necessarily with a game, but just move it around and get a feel for it. Test the tension, consider the looks, examine the quality. 9. Check out the guarantee. Don't accept under a year for any joystick. 10. Keep in mind, the amount of desk space you have. Buy a hand held model if you have no space.

WARNING Before you rush out and buy a brand new joystick, remember you'll need a joystick interface too. Rubber keyboard owners have always needed one and although Amstrad included a joystick port on the Plus 2 and 3, it's only compatible with Amstrad joysticks, so you'll still need an interface for Kempston and Cursor sticks. Got that?

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

Durability 8/10

Design 8/10

Value For Money 8/10

Ian Machin

Tony Takoushi

ANOTHER ONE TO CHECK OUT, BRAINS! Joysticks, as everybody knows, are seriously crucial to playing computer games. C+VG's Ian "Brains" Machin and Tony Takoushi look at new joysticks for the Sega and Nintendo Means machines. This is it! Another arm-aching, palm-sweating, finger-cracking, wrist-wrecking, cramp-creating, muscle-mangling, joint-jumping joystick round up. And in general we've got a great crop of Value for Money joysticks out at the moment. Right, first joysticks up for the heavy-handed C+VG zip and zap test are from Dynamics. COMPETITION PRO EXTRA The Comp Pro extra has been designed around the same specifications as the original Comp Pro 5000 joystick, except that it's translucent and incorporates an auto-fire and slow motion option. There are also a pair of micro switch fire buttons which give a greatly increased position. Handling the joystick is easy and simple. It fits neatly between both hands, but may take some time until you become accustomed, and eventually comfortable with it. To toggle between auto-fire, normal and slow motion, there is a small switch, which is located at the rear of the joystick base it can be operated quickly and easily during gameplay. The Competition Pro Standard is still the best, and now that it includes both auto-fire and slow motion, it's a sure winner! Price: £16.95 Ian Says: Excellent COMPETITION PRO 5000 This was the joystick that started it all. Yep, that's right! The Pro 5000 has been the forefather of what all joysticks should be, sturdy, well-built, fully microswitched, highly responsive and extremely reliable. The 5000 was the prototype for the Pro Extra and as its counterpart, is of the same design, but is red and black in colour. It is fully microswitched apart from the fire buttons, and has the same performance qualities and characteristics as the Pro Extra and there is also a clear version too. Another joystick which has just come to my attention, which looks identical to the Pro 5000, is actually a Taiwanese import and is constructed in such a way it can only be described as cheap! It can easily be recognised by looking at the of the joystick, there you will seen the words Micro Pro. As well as this, when moving the stick, it gives a stiff and rugged feel. This joystick should be avoided at all costs! Price: £14.95 (Standard model)/£15.95 (Clear model). Ian Says: Excellent EUROMAX MICO HANDLER The Micro Handler is, I can only describe as, as an all purpose joystick, due to the fact, that it consists of a variety of joystick gadgets which include two paddles, an autofire switch, a couple of buttons and of course the joystick handle itself. All of these are contained within a sturdy rectangular metal box, with four suction cups at it's base. It is easily positioned neatly and comfortably upon the lap, or can be placed on a table top and held steady, via the suction cups. The joystick handle is a real beaut, with only one finger, it is possible to sway ail eight directions. To go with the auto-fire switch, is an auto-fire speed controller. which can speed up or slow down the pulse rate of the auto-fire mechanism. The fire buttons are just that little bit dodgy. When using them in a rapid motion, they often become stuck, if pressed at an angle. The only way round this is, of course, to press them carefully. Overall, the Micro Handler is a must for all dedicated gamesters and is worthy of adding to your joystick collection. Price: £24.95 Ian Says: Excellent EUROMAX PROFESSIONAL The Euromax Pro is probably the nearest thing, when it comes to quality and design, to the Competition Pro 5000. Design of the joystick is identical, apart from a few embossed decorative and structured extras. The fire buttons are square, instead of round and is yellow and black in colour. Joystick manoeuvrability is just great! Smooth, quick and incredibly simple. The fire buttons give superb response and all microswitches give a loud noticeable click, which I feel is very important, as it gives a much better reaction from your ear to your finger. There are two versions the same joystick, one of these has an auto-fire option and the other one, you've guessed it, doesn't. The Professional has definitely got to be one of the best joysticks on the market, let's hope it stays that way! Price: £15.95/£18.95 (Auto-fire) Ian Says: Excellent EUROMAX ELITE The Elite is quite a neat little joystick, and is one of the joysticks in Euromax's cheaper range and is worth every penny. It uses long lasting microswitches and sits quite well between both hands. The Elite would suit people with small hands and at £11.95 should be within the financial reach of the average game player. It is red and black in colour and the fire button is positioned to the front of the joystick. The response quality from the Elite is not really up to the Professional's standard, but it's acceptable. As you may already know, C+VG has its own joystick with our neat little logo embossed on it. Well, our joystick is really the Elite, cleverly in disguise! It's yellow and blue in colour. There is also an auto-fire and non-auto-fire versions of the Elite, but the C+VG joystick is a non auto-fire only. Price: £11.95/£15.95 (Auto-fire) Ian Says: Average EUROMAX PRO ACE MICRO ACE Both the Pro Ace and Micro Ace look exactly the same. The only difference is that the Pro is leaf switch operated and the Micro Ace uses microswitches. Both look like mini pyramids and have a wide fire button at the front. The Micro Ace gives a relatively good feel and is quite accurate. The Pro Ace, because it uses leaf switches, requires excessive movements to create any response at all. The price for the Pro Ace seems fair, although having to pay £12.95 for the Micro Ace, I'd rather save a quid and buy the Elite instead! Price: £8.95 (Pro-Ace)/£12.95 (Micro-Ace) Ian Says: Average MASTERTRONIC MAGNUM The Magnum is the ideal joystick for younger gamesters and can easily be held steady by small hands. It looks rather like a gun, except that there is no barrel. The trigger is on a slant and the stick is placed on top just beyond the trigger. It is fully microswitched and responds well to sudden movements. The fire button is nice and large. The Magnum is ideal for a whole host of games, ranging from arcade adventures to super fast shoot 'em ups. Mastertronic have now reduced the price of their magnum to compete against the Speed Kings price cuts. Price: £12.50 Ian Says: Good KONIX SPEEDKING The Speedking comes in three versions for computers and games consoles. The Speedking is probably the only joystick which has been designed, solely to fit perfectly into the hand, that is, into a big hand. It's design and size suggests that it can be held in the palm of a large hand. Therefore it is ideal for an adult, and may be found awkward for a child. The stick is easily manoeuvrable, responds well and can handle a considerable amount of frequent pounding. It uses microswitches as does the fire button, which is situated to the right hand side of the grip. There are also two other versions of the Speedking for the Sega and Nintendo, each has all the features of the original Speedking, but include the necessary connections and triggers to make them compatible. At £11.99. plus the game Thing Bounces Back, the Speedking is even more value for money! Price: £11.99/£12.99 (Auto-fire) Ian Says: Good SEGA AND NINTENDO If you are the proud owner of either a Nintendo or a Sega console you will probably have felt quite a bit of frustration on using the controller pads that come with the units, writes Tony Takoushi. This isn't to say they are no good, on some games they are ideal but GENERALLY they leave a lot to be desired. I went hunting around to see if there are any alternative joysticks that are compatible with the consoles. I found that Sega have released a new joystick (to be reviewed when I am sent one!) as well as a special trackball controller, I have yet to hear of Nintendo doing the same. Other companies have seen the gap and have stepped in. Wico is well known for its arcade and home computer joysticks and now it has produced the Command Control for the Nintendo. A UK company, Konix has also released a contender in the Nintendo and Sega stakes with its specially fitted Speed King Joysticks. The standard Sega and Nintendo Joysticks are very similar in design and function. They both have A + B buttons and the joystick section is simply a press down pad that is thumb size. The Sega has a screw-in knob which gives the press down pad that is about a better feel but still remains fiddly and unbalanced in the hand. Problems tend to occur on games where you need a fine control of diagonal position. For a game which require straight up/down/left/right the controller is OK. As I said above the Nintendo has two alternatives, Wico or Konix. The Wico weighs in at a hefty 16 pounds (sterling!) and is not cheap. But you do get what you pay for. It is very rugged and is clearly built to last. As you can see from the picture the SELECT and START buttons are on top of the base unit with the fire button on the joystick handle, the B button is on either side of the base of the stick (good news for the left or right handers among you). It has a four foot cord and the unit slips easily into your hand. The response is fast and smooth, and clearly Wico has employed the same design and quality thinking in this stick as in its other arcade and computer joysticks. The Konix Speed King has been around for home computers and the console version retails for £12.99 - which is quite a bit less than the Wico. It has a four foot cord, is designed to fit in the palm of your hand and boasts a shorter faster throw (stick movement), the fire button is well placed by your index finger. Indeed, the joystick is well designed for your hand and has a fast feedback. The START and SELECT buttons are placed on top of the base unit and there is an auto-fire option on the rear end of the unit. I quite enjoyed playing with the Speed King BUT real problems occurred when I had to use the B button in a game. This was because it was placed and it was very distracting trying to alternate between buttons. I also found the stability of the stick to be uneven and it tended to rock back and forth when I was in tight corners.

Crash

Ben Stone

Dominic Handy

CHRISTMAS LISTE Ben and Dom, Crash, [redacted]. What's small and black and bursts the seams of a stocking? A Spectrum add-on, of course - there are hundreds of little black boxes for music, printing, screen art and program transfer. Dominic Handy suggests some utilities and hardware for the Christmas list, and Ben Stone brings joysticks to the world - but don't fight over them, or they'll all be broken by little black Boxing Day. JOYSTICKES TERMINATOR Supersoft £19.9 Like most pointless street cred - take Raybans, expensive earplugs on a Radio Shack personal stereo and the Beastie Boys - the Terminator does serve a purpose, but only just. And its wacky design takes a lot of getting used to. Being so tiny the Danish stick has a lot of travel, so it's quite unresponsive. And the fire pin is difficult to use: you have to hold the grenade and fire with the same hand, but you can get it to work fairly quickly it you're prepared to go through hand-ache agony. The Terminator is all but indestructible, made of very thick plastic and durable electrical parts, but for nearly 20 quid I'd expect something a little more efficient than this. OMPETITION PRO 5000 Dynamics £14.95 (£15.95 with transparent case, Competition Pro Extra £16.49 with autofire and go-slow mode) This is THE joystick. The fire action is brilliant and the stick performs like a dream. It looks much the same as the Euromax Professional, but for just a pound more you can get it with high-tech clear casing (as in the picture). It's durable, because the shaft is made of steel and the microswitched mechanism inside is remarkably simple (and pretty much user-serviceable). The fire buttons work with reed switches, sometimes considered unreliable, but I've never had any trouble. Sadly, there's no autofire on either model, though there's a souped-up version on the market (the Competition Pro Extra) with autofire option and a go-slow mode never before seen on any joystick. SPEEDKING Konix £11.99 (£12.99 with autofire) The Speedking was a novelty when it appeared - the first truly hand-held joystick that worked well. It's easy to use, though it has the problem of the Euromax Professional in reverse: the diagonals are a pig to find and use quickly, which makes playing games like fighting sims very difficult. The position of the fire button really makes your hand ache if you're pressing it a lot - shoot-'em-ups turn into a nightmare when you're doing well! - though it would be difficult to have it anywhere else on the compact little body of the Speedking. There is a Speedking with autofire available. Earlier this year Konix claimed one Speedking lasted for 17,604,000 waggles (that's 27 days of nonstop waggling, folks!), but the story is not now believed, Our Waggling Editor writes. PROFESSIONAL Euromax £15.95 (£18.95 with autofire) The Euromax Professional has most of the features now becoming standard in the joystick world: posey design and microswitches, and an autofire option if you want to pay a bit extra. (It's the autofire version in the picture.) At first it's a little difficult to get to grips with, literally, because it's biased slightly to the diagonals. Theoretically this means the joystick's eight directions are equally easy to use, but in practice the stick often slips out of the vertical/horizontal into a diagonal. But the Euromax Professional has a brilliant fire action. And it's a great stick for games where deft, precise movements aren't needed; it feels rather flimsy, but the couple that were in the office had fairly long lives considering the hammering a CRASH joystick gets! 125 SPECIAL Cheetah £12.99 This new joystick, introduced in last issue's PCW Show report, has the usual eight directional controls as well as two independent fire buttons - and a special rotate function which allows the player to twist the joystick for extra-realistic movement. Of course a joystick of such complexity needs more than the usual five pin in/outputs; you'll have to have an extra joystick port, or use both ports on the +2 and +3/. There is an autofire function. IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER MIDI INTERFACE Cheetah Marketing £49.95 With this interface box and accompanying software you can control any MIDI instrument via the Spectrum. It's superb for people who can write music but can't play - just enter the notes and the computer plays the instrument. Or do it the other way round: you play the music and the computer puts it into musical notation. Including a MIDI lead for connecting the interface to your instrument, the MIDI interface was reviewed in issue 40. MK5II KEYBOARD Cheetah Marketing £199.95 This 61-key fully polyphonic board with foot switch and MIDI output ports comes packed in a rugged steel case. It's an ideal accessory to Cheetah's MIDI interface. MUSIC MACHINE Ram Electronics £49.95 'One of the best all round music add-ons for the Spectrum' - Jon Bates, Issue 34. A sound sampler, sequencer, editor, drum machine and composer all in one little black interface, the popular Music Machine is supported by a wide range of software. Recent additions include Quasar Software's Sample Editor (reviewed last issue) and Tectrics's chord construction kit Compuchord (Issue 45). SPECDRUM Cheetah Marketing £29.95 Now the standard drum add-on for the Spectrum, the SpecDrum comes complete with eight samples of real drum sounds. Extra drum sounds can be loaded in from tape: the Electro Kit and Afro Kit both retail at £4.99 and the older Latin Kit at £3.99, and all come complete with their own editors. The SpecDrum plugs into most hi-fis via a connecting phone lead. Jon Bates enthused over it in Issue 27. MUSIC TYPEWRITER Romantic Robot £7.95 Coming complete with keyboard overlays (48/+), this clever piece of software is a sophisticated tool for music on the Spectrum. Music written on Music Typewriter is displayed onscreen using realistic graphics which can be dumped to most dot-matrix printers, so you can print your own music. And your compositions aren't limited to Music Typewriter - all your tunes can be converted to machine code for use in your own programs. Jon Bates went sharpening and flattening on Music Typewriter in Issue 16. PRINTING MULTIPRINT Romantic Robot £39.95 A printer interface with all the options, the Multiprint can dump any Spectrum screen to an Epson-compatible printer in three different densities - it's handy for listings, too. There's more info in Issue 43. RAM PRINT Ram Electronics £34.95 Not only does this little black box drive your printer using a very easy menu-driven system (all stored on a ROM chip), it's also useful for those apres-Christmas 'thank you' letters because it comes with a built-in word processor, accessible from BASIC at any time and also on ROM. And if you ever get bored of all those line feeds and ESCape codes you can always plug your joystick in the built-in Kempston port and bash away at a game. See the details in issue 35. FOR THE ARTIST THE OCP ART STUDIO THE ADVANCED OCP ART STUDIO Rainbird £14.95, £24.95 'Probably the best art utility on the Spectrum' - Mike Dunn (On The Screen Editor). Need we say more? Several versions of the mouse- and joystick- compatible Art Studio utility are available for different Spectrum setups; The Advanced OCP Art Studio, which really needs an Interface One and microdrive to use its full potential, is much more powerful than the original. It has a Scrapbook library facility so you can combine and paste together pictures. Issues 24 and 40 have reviews of The OCP Art Studio and The Advanced OCP Art Studio respectively. VIDEO DIGITISER Sunset £128.00 Ever wanted to change Prince Charles's ears, or rub out out that blot on Gorbachov's forehead? You can do this and more, provided you've a video recorder, with the Sunset Video Digitiser. This little black box has all the connections for grabbing TV pictures from the video and then using them anywhere you want - even in games. Sadly, there's no printer ribbon that will put them onto T-shirts. Franco Frey got frame-grabbing in issue 31. VIDEOFACE DIGITISER Romantic Robot £69.00 plus £1.00 postage and packing The Videoface Digitiser is amazingly cheap and fast - it's all here. You can grab and scan three pictures a second, and then produce a very realistic animation sequence using up to six screens. At about hall the price of the Sunset Video Digitiser, this represents unbelievable value for money. NOT A CREATURE IS STIRRING, EXCEPT FOR A MOUSE KEMPSTON MOUSE Kempston Data £49.95 There's no WIMPing out with Kempston's version of the yuppie controller, with button eyes and connecting tail. Don't forget to lock up your cheeseboard and keep the cats indoors. Kempston is still bundling Rainbird's OCP Art Studio with this rodent at £69.95. Or those with a Spectrum +3 you can get Kempston's new Desktop utility package for +3 DOS and the mouse for exactly the same price. COMCON Frei £17.95 (single port), £19.95 (twin port) This is guaranteed to work with any product that uses the Spectrum keyboard. By connecting the six plugs to the miniature keyboard add-on you can have eight directions and TWO independent fire buttons (provided you have the correct joystick - also available from Frei). A twin-port version is also available for complex games. Lloyd reviewed the single-port version way back in Issue Eight. AND... MULTIFACE ONE, MULTIFACE 128, MULTIFACE 3 Romantic Robot £39.95, £44.95, £44.95 'One of the most versatile and user-friendly units on the market' - CRASH Issue 29 - Romantic Robot's Multifaces are ideal for the serious gameplayer or utility user with a fast storage device: they can put cassette games on Beta, Opus and Kempston disks. The Multiface 3 (pictured) can transfer cassette programs for the Spectrum and 128 to the - +3's Amstrad disks. It was welcomed in Issue 45 as a good reason to buy the +3, though Sixword's Swift Disc and Rockfort Product's Disciple are also worthwhile disk systems. The Multifaces have other uses: most POKEs can be entered using the ROM-based toolkit. And printer-owners are also catered tor with a COPY command, ideal for dumping your greatest high scores! All these options are available at any time at the press of a little red button. CRASH first saw the Multiface One in Issue 26. PLUS D Miles Gordon Technology £49.95 (£129.95 with 3.5-inch 780K-capacity disk drive) The Plus D is a new disk and printer interface from the designers of Rockfort Product's Disciple. Its Snapshot button will save all 48K and 128K cassette programs to disk, it's claimed, and the interface can make single and double-size screen dumps to a printer. The Plus D is also available in a package with a disk drive. GAMMA-STRIKE Gamesware £24.95 Gamesware's Gamma-Strike target-shooting system is a novel combination of hardware and software - you plug a target into the Spectrum, shoot at it with a model gun and watch the computer monitor your score! It's all done with the latest signal-detection techniques, and Gamesware promises more 'plug-in games' including darts and snooker soon... look out for the CRASH review. Thank you Santa, lots of luv Ben and Dom xxxxx

Your Sinclair

Steve Adams

HARD FACTS SPECIAL Are you having a hard time choosing the right hardware? Hard but Steve Adams has the lowdown on the latest hardware. And it's all under £100. KONIX SPEED KING Konix Computer Products £12.99 Reviewer: Steve Adams This is an ergonomically designed joystick (ooh, get you!) to fit the right-handed of the world. Which is a bit of a shame if you're cack-handed (left to you). Even so, if you don't want to get joystick wrist you'll have to rest this on your knee most of the time 'cos the fire button's positioned a bit awkwardly. It'll give you good positive control and a quick flick of the wrist allows you to skip past characters with ease. It's smooth, neat and a must - if you're right handed that is!

C&VG (Computer & Video Games)

Accuracy 8/10

Ergonomics 5/10

Strength 8/10

Overall 8/10

STICKY FINGERS Silence in court. The Joystick Jury has assembled again to sit in judgement on the latest batch of these essential game playing aides. There's been a whole lot of powerful pulverising going on as the joysticks have been subjected to trial by terror and torture. The jury is about to return its verdicts... SPEED KING MACHINES: Spectrum, Spectrum Plus, CBM 64, Vic 20, C16 and Plus 4, Atari, BBC, Electron, Dragon, MSX, Amstrad, Oric MAKER: Konix Computer Products, [redacted] PRICE: £12.99 for most machines, £14.99 for BBC, C16/Plus4 and Dragon. This is the joystick that's hot at the moment. If you believe the makers and PR hype, it's selling faster than the speed of light. It's designed to be hand held. There's no base or suckers so you can't stick it to the table. It fits snuggly into the left hand, forefinger curling under to hit the fire button. The stick itself is operated by the right hand. If you're left-handed, forget it it's almost impossible to hold, and you'll stand no chance in a high speed zap session. The shaft looks fairly fragile but is very responsive and looks a lot tougher than it appears. All in all the Speed King is a nice little performer. But you'd better try it out for size before parting with your hard earned cash. MAGNUM MACHINES: All major home computers, C16 and Plus 4 and Sinclair Plus 2 needs adaptor. MAKER: Mastertronic, [redacted] PRICE: £12.50 The Magnum, Mastertronics first foray into the world of joysticks, is another hand-held model. At least this time its ambidextrous design should present no problems to left-handed players. As the name suggests, this joystick is gun-shaped, with the fire button falling under the thumb and the shaft on top. It fits nicely in hand and a prolonged playing stint produces no really bad side-effects on the hand. Both fire button and shaft perform well, responding instantly to action. The one drawback is that it doesn't feel too sturdy and you get the impression it may not be able to stand up to month after month of zapping. It also comes with six foot of cable. Mastertronic claims this is more than with any other joystick. This, of course, enables you to stand or sit a long way from the computer screen. Which is fine if you have the eyesight of an eagle and can still see what's happening on screen. PRO ACE MACHINES: All major makes. MAKER: Euromax, [redacted] PRICE: £11.95 For some strange reason the Pro Ace is very pleasing to look at. I just happen to like the black matt finish set off by the rather big red (no pun intended) fire button. But that's about all there is really. The whole thing is sturdily built and will no doubt last but was almost immobile, making response time quite slow. The whole thing was also a little uncomfortable to hold in the hand, all angular edges jutting into the palm. A miss with the jury. GUN SHOT MAKER: Vulcan Electronics, [redacted] PRICE: £8.95 Pretty much a standard looking joystick, with four suckered feet for firm anchoring to the table for all those important moments. It has two fire buttons, one on top of the stalk and the other on the base. It also has autofire option if you really want your enemies to bite on a stream of bullets. The stalk is smooth, so if your hands tend to become a little sticky then there's a chance it could slip. Overall, the joystick performs well and has the mark of durability about it. ELITE MACHINES: Atari, Commodore, Amstrad, MSX and Spectrum, BBC and Electron (with interfaces) MAKER: Euromax, [redacted] PRICE: £15.95 Odd shaped and sturdy looking, the Elite is a disappointment when you get grips with it. The shape makes it very uncomfortable to hold and the auto-fire button has to be held down all the time. We even bound it up with sticky tape to keep it blasting away. It does. however, respond well and has the feel of something lasting a long while. We feel it's a little bit of a let down when you consider the quality of past Euromax joysticks. Overpriced as well.

Christmas is a time of peace, goodwill and joy(sticks) for all arcade players. Others on the market at the moment: Check out Cheetah's 125+ at £8.95. It features two base fire buttons and a third situated at the top of the stick. A fourth fire button is on the front of the stick, lying under the forefinger. Slightly more expensive for Cheetah at £14.95 is the Match I+. It's compatible with all major computer makes. Britannia Software is also marketing a new hand-held stick called the Phasor One. It looks similar to Mastertronic's Magnum stick, vaguely gun-shaped with the shaft on top of a pistol grip. It costs £8.95.

THE RATINGS EXPLAINED In accordance with normal C+VG practice, all the joysticks featured here have been graded on a scale of 1-10. For those of you who insist on percentage marks, just add a zero to the score. The categories investigated are as follows: Accuracy: Does the joystick fire when you want it to or does it have a mind of its own? A vital rating, we think. After all, who wants to move right when you intended to go left? Ergonomics: Never use a simple word when a more obscure one will do. This category looks at design. Does the joystick look and feel right? Strength: Otherwise known as the Big Red wrench test. Is the joystick likely to fall part with the least provocation or melt in your hot, sweaty hands in the white heat of battle? Overall: Is this the biz or not? Does it do its job properly. The Game:To try and introduce some consistent standard to the tests all the joysticks were used on Ikari Warriors. We were going to use Sanxion but we lost our copy of the game.

ZX Computing

Charlton Appleby

JOYSTICK CONNOISSEUR CHARLTON APPLEBY TAKES A CRITICAL LOOK AT ESTABLISHED SPECTRUM JOYSTICKS AND ALSO PLAYTESTS CHEETAH'S NEW 128+2 COMPATIBLE STICKS. SPEED KING Konyx £12.99 This is a fairly new 'stick' with a less than conventional configuration. An 'ergonomically' styled grip fits into your left hand like it was part of it, with the trigger resting neatly beneath the crook of your index finger. The top of the stick has a short, stiff stick protruding from it. The switching is via microswitches that will virtually last forever. However, their response time is a bit slow, and the tactile feedback is close to nothing. You hear your stick move before you can feel it or see it. The grip is also a bit dicky at times. When you play for a long time in a difficult game, your hands can get a bit sweaty. With this stick you start to let it slip after a while and the whole situation gets out of control. If you are left handed - forget it!

Speed King

Sinclair User

Overall 91%

Graham Taylor 91%

ONE JOYSTICK'S THE SAME AS ANOTHER ISN'T IT? NO. WHY? BECAUSE GRAHAM TAYLOR SAYS THAT'S THE WAY IT IS! Well you just yank it don' you, I mean sometimes you stab it wiv your fumb as well but das about it reely. Is there such a thing as a cool joystick? What particular piece of plastic will most perfectly set off your Georgio Armani lime green California casuals. If Crockett and Tubbs bust aliens instead of cars what would be the piece of plastic for them? When it comes to joysticks there are as many opinions as there are frazzled aliens. Ain't nobody gonna be damn fool enough to pretend that it's possible to do some sort of definitive/objective analysis. So what we have here is a mixture of fact and faction. Actually reading between the lines will probably reveal some deep-seated and dodgy details about the reviewer. THE RATING SYSTEM KILL FACTOR: A general purpose term implying how responsive the joystick is to your slightest movement. Responsive equals alien deaths. DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS: Can the thing take the strain? Is it going to fall apart in five minutes if the going gets rough? LOOKS CAM KILL: Is it stylish? Is it easy to grip? If it were a car would it be Ferrari Daytona or a dumper truck? This section is almost totally biased. OVERALL COOL: The lot totalled up, fiddled with, adjusted and generally mutated to give a definitive overall impression of the total joystick concept. SPEED KING Strange shaped joystick with side fire button and thin stick shaft. KILL FACTOR Very responsive due to microswitches and the nice flexible shaft which you can swivel around at the speed of light if you want. Fire button is a little odd but it works well enough. DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS Well, it looks a bit like a tank, apart from the actual shaft which, though thin, is plastic over metal. Rough treatment caused no problems. LOOKS CAN KILL It sort of reminds me of Thunderbird Two. It's designed to fit snugly into the palm of the hand and this it does. The odd side-mounted fire button is usefully positioned but a little hard going, inducing serious ache after a few minutes. OVERALL COOL Neat, a bit bulky looking but well made and responsive. Should last. PRICE: £12.95

ZX Computing

GRIPPING STUFF Konyx £12.99 The Speedking from Konyx Computer Products is called a 'gripstick' rather than a joystick because of the shape of the hand unit. This is shaped in such a way that it fits comfortably into the palm of your left hand, and as your hand curls around the unit your index finger (the one next to your thumb) naturally comes to rest over the fire button. The conventional joystick part of the unit, the stick controlling direction and movement, is quite small and projects upwards from the face of the joystick as if it were growing out of the palm of your hand. It does look a bit odd, and not at all streamlined, but it fits the hand quite comfortably unlike the large bases on some more conventional models and the directional control stick, though small, is nice and solid and handles well. Of course the real test of any joystick is how it handles a good shoot 'em up. So, I loaded in Cyberun and Flying Formula and managed to run up higher scores than I usually do, then I tried it out on Sai Combat which, being a kung fu game required more than just fast blasting skills. On all counts the Speedking performed really well. It works so well because the hand-shaped grip allows you to hold it comfortably and concentrate on the game rather than on trying to stop the joystick from flying out of your hand. The position of the fire button is also well thought out and isn't likely to induce cramp after a few bursts of fire, My only criticism of the Speedking is that it's probably useless if you're left-handed, since it will only fit into the left hand and can only be controlled with the right. However for the right-handed majority it's well worth the price and I personally would rather use the Speedking than just about any other joystick that I've yet come across.