| Charts |
THINGS SEEM to be boiling up for the winter with new releases entering the charts like there's no tomorrow.
The highest new entry is Fairlight, going straight to No 3 within weeks of the launch, despite a few problems with bugged copies, now resolved.
Melbourne House is only one place behind with Fighting Warrior, which looks set to repeat the success of the all-conquering Exploding Fist. With Terrormolinos creeping up fast, the Aussies are well on their way to establishing themselves as the premier UK software house. In September Melbourne sales gave the company 20 per cent of the total sales of Spectrum Top 50 software.
Second only to Melbourne House is Ocean - 16 per cent of sales in the same period - whose Daley Thompson's Supertest holds the top position, though Frankie Goes to Hollywood is already on its way out. Stablemate US Gold is losing its grip too, taking only six per cent of the Top 50 sales in September, and with both Spy Hunter and Dam Busters slipping fast.
Whatever happened to Ultimate? Apparently the games playing public has given Sabre Man the cold shoulder, and Knight Lore lookalike Nightshade failed to reach No 1 and could be out of the top ten by next month. Neither does Software Projects appear to be flavour of the month.
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| 1 |  | DALEY THOMPSON'S SUPERTEST | Ocean |
| 2 |  | WAY OF THE EXPLODING FIST | Melbourne House |
| 3 | | FAIRLIGHT | The Edge |
| 4 | | FIGHTING WARRIOR | Melbourne House |
| 5 | | FRANK BRUNO'S BOXING | Elite |
| 6 | NOW GAMES | Various/Virgin | |
| 7 | | BORED OF THE RINGS | Silversoft |
| 8 | | NIGHTSHADE | Ultimate |
| 9 | | ACTION BIKER | Mastertronic |
| 10 | | GRAHAM GOOCH'S TEST CRICKET | Audiogenic |
| 11 | | HYPERSPORTS | Imagine |
| 12 | | MARSPORT | Gargoyle Games |
| 13 | | SORDERON'S SHADOW | Beyond |
| 14 | | HIGHWAY ENCOUNTER | Vortex |
| 15 | | FINDERS KEEPERS | Mastertronic |
| 16 | | HACKER | Activision |
| 17 | | SOFTAID | Various |
| 18 | | POPEYE | dk'tronics |
| 19 | | DYNAMITE DAN | Mirrorsoft |
| 20 | | JET SET WILLY 2 | Software Projects |
| 21 | | SPY VS SPY | Beyond |
| 22 | | DAMBUSTERS | US Gold |
| 23 | | EMPIRE FIGHTS BACK | Mastertronic |
| 24 | | SHADOW OF THE UNICORN | Mikro-Gen |
| 25 | | FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD | Ocean |
| 26 | | SPY HUNTER | US Gold |
| 27 | | NONTERRAQUEOUS | Mastertronic |
| 28 | | FORMULA 1 SIMULATOR | Mastertronic |
| 29 | | BMX RACERS | Mastertronic |
| 30 | | NICK FALDO'S OPEN | Argus |
| BUBBLING UNDER | |
| IMPOSSIBLE MISSION | US Gold |
| STARQUAKE | Bubble Bus |
| CRITICAL MASS | Durell |
| TERRORMOLINOS | Melbourne House |
| ROBIN OF SHERWOOD | Adventure International |
| RUPERT & THE TOYMAKER'S PARTY | Argus |
| WORLD SERIES BASKETBALL | Imagine |
| THE RATS | Hodder & Stoughton |
| JASON'S GEM | Mastertronic |
| ABU SIMBEL PROFANATION | Gremlin Graphics |
Cult adventurers Delta 4 have at last hit the big time, with Bored of the Rings, on the Silversoft label, achieving sales previously undreamed of. Mikro-Gen's innovative Shadow of the Unicorn is doing well, too, and Beyond's Sorderon's Shadow has entered at No 13.
Noticeable by its absence is Monty on the Run, though publisher Gremlin Graphics has Abu Simbel - Profanation bubbling under. Other games to look out for include Elite and Chimera from Firebird, Astro Clone from Hewson Consultants and The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole from Mosaic. Ten of the games in the Top 30 are Sinclair User Classics, as are two of the bubblers, which goes to show that we do get it right some of the time. Finally, what about Mastertronic? The company has six - nearly seven - hits in the charts, some of which are actually quite good. Budget software rules, OK?