Harrier Attack Amsoft/Durell

Originally released on the Oric and Spectrum back in 1983, the Amsoft Amstrad release changes little in gameplay a year later and retains the original release’s excellent cover art. The Amsoft banner and blue border may not be to everyone’s taste. Yet, I find its addition here to be most striking, enhancing an already action-packed image, especially the lower Harrier jet, seeping out of the main picture and into the border itself. Otherwise, the image, designed and created by Tim Hayward, does an efficient job of presenting the game’s action.

The two jets race across a verdant land that quickly gives way to the sea — an island, most likely the Falklands, serving as inspiration — as an explosion rocks behind them. There’s a fantastic impression of speed and power as the Harriers charge across the image, and the attention to detail on the aircraft is also notable.